University of Virginia

University of Virginia

Type	Public Flagship
Established	1819
Endowment	$5.852 billion (2016)
Budget	$1.39 billion
President	Teresa A. Sullivan
Academic staff	2,102
Students	22,391
Undergraduates	15,891
Postgraduates	6,500
Location	Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Campus	Small city 1,682 acres (6.81 km2) World Heritage Site
Founder	Thomas Jefferson
Colors	Blue and Orange
Nickname	Cavaliers Wahoos
Mascot	Cavalier
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division I – ACC
Website	www.virginia.edu
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, iv, vi
Designated	1987 (11th session)
Reference no.	442
Region	Europe and North America

Coordinates: 38°02′06″N 78°30′18″W / 38.035°N 78.505°W / 38.035; -78.505

Public

The University of Virginia (U.Va. or UVA), frequently referred to simply as Virginia, is a public research university and the flagship for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Like a small number of other public universities, it also administers a law school and business school which are financially independent; despite this, it is still a public institution. Founded in 1819 by Declaration of Independence author Thomas Jefferson, UVA is known for its historic foundations, student-run honor code, and secret societies.

UNESCO designated UVA as America's first and only collegiate World Heritage Site in 1987, an honor shared with nearby Monticello. The university was established in 1819, and its original governing Board of Visitors included Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. Monroe was the sitting President of the United States at the time of its foundation. Former Presidents Jefferson and Madison were UVA's first two rectors and the Academical Village and Jefferson conceived and designed the original courses of study.