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Virginia Commonwealth University ranks 46th nationally with $500m research fund
January 7, 2026
The top 50 placement for the fourth straight year among public universities reflects the growing impact of VCU’s research and innovation enterprise.
for the first time, Virginia Commonwealth University has crossed the $500 million mark for research expenditures. The total of $524 million for fiscal year 2024 ranks VCU at No. 46 among public universities, according to the annual NSF HERD survey, the nationally recognized and authoritative measure for quantifying research impact at U.S. colleges and universities.
Research expenditures represent actual dollars spent by VCU to conduct all research activities, and the figure includes spending down the university’s external sponsored funding awards, along with its internal investments. These expenditures advance the most innovative research being conducted on all VCU’s campuses, and they support essential research infrastructure – including labs, utilities, regulatory requirements, compliance, safety and research administration – as well as faculty, student and research staff salaries.
In fiscal 2024, VCU’s sponsored funding – the dollar amount of grants, contracts and awards from external sources, primarily federal, state, industry and philanthropic – reached $506 million. (That record was surpassed again recently in fiscal 2025: $568 million.)
Research expenditures is the national recognized measurement of productivity for institutions, as it reflects the true scale and impact of the research being conducted. The VCU research and innovation enterprise has now doubled its expenditures in just five years, making it one of the fastest-growing top 50 public research universities in the country.
In addition to the overall ranking, several of VCU’s focus areas were ranked in the public top 50 in their fields, including:
- Visual and performing arts (No. 1)
- Non-science/engineering fields – humanities, social sciences, art (7)
- Education (13)
- Social work (28)
- Life sciences (36)
- Biological and biomedical sciences (43)
“As a major national public research university, VCU’s mission is to pursue discovery, invention and innovation that benefits humanity and enhances people’s lives…. We have worked dutifully to catalyze the expansion and increase of our research, as demonstrated by our ranking, because the work of our dedicated, world-class faculty is an opportunity to make a discovery that will improve lives and strengthen our understanding of our world. The research we do for the public good is a vital part of VCU’s future. I look forward to continuing our upward trajectory.”
Michael Rao, Ph.D. VCU President
