Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine

What Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine does

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine is a public academic medical center headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, founded in 1838 as the Medical College of Virginia and now operating as a component of Virginia Commonwealth University. The institution trains future physicians, scientists, and biomedical scholars through a four-year M.D. program, Ph.D. and M.S. programs in biomedical sciences, dual-degree pathways (MD-PhD and MD-MPH), a premedical graduate certificate (CERT) program, and over 91 ACGME-accredited graduate medical education specialty programs serving more than 750 residents and fellows. Its core technology infrastructure centers on a translational research enterprise — most recently an AI-enabled clinical research database for steatotic liver disease developed with partner Century Health — and is anchored by an all-time-high $363M sponsored research portfolio, the only Level 1 Trauma Center in Richmond, and the region's only full-service children's hospital.

The school's business model draws on four streams: tuition and fees (e.g., $29,563 total for the two-semester CERT program), sponsored research funding from NIH and other federal/foundation sources, clinical care revenue generated by 800+ faculty physicians across 200+ clinical specialties operating through the integrated VCU Health System, and philanthropy supported by an active alumni and development function. Distribution is concentrated through direct admissions processes, centralized application services for select programs, and guaranteed-interview partnerships with peer institutions including the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Customer segments are diverse: medical, graduate, and dual-degree students; residents and fellows; practicing faculty and healthcare professionals seeking continuing medical education; and patients receiving clinical care across the VCU Health System. The institution currently competes for talent, research funding, and clinical market share primarily within the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast United States, with strategic emphasis on research excellence (e.g., Virginia's first NCI SPORE grant), pipeline equity (HBCU partnership), and emerging data-driven translational capabilities in hepatology.

Name

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine

Legal name

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine

Website

https://medschool.vcu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1838

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine is a public academic medical center in Richmond, Virginia, training medical, graduate, and dual-degree students, and over 750 residents and fellows across 91 specialty programs, while delivering clinical care through 800+ faculty physicians and conducting sponsored research totaling $363M.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Education & Academic Medical Center

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals (622310), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215)

SIC

Services-Hospitals (8060), Services-General Medical & Surgical Hospitals, Nec (8062), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Medical Schools (MD/DO Granting) (EDAHAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Academic Medical Centers & Teaching Hospitals (University-Affiliated) (EDAHAGAA), Academic Medical Centers (AMCs) & Teaching Hospitals (HLAFAAAA), Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI), Healthcare & Medical Licensure Exam Prep (USMLE/COMLEX, NCLEX, Dentistry, Pharmacy, PA) (EDANAIAA)

Keywords

• Medical education
• Graduate medical education
• Biomedical research
• Clinical training
• Academic medical center

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from student tuition for M.D., M.S., Ph.D. programs, certificate programs, and graduate medical education. CERT program tuition is $14,781.50 per semester ($29,563.00 total).
2. Sponsored Research Funding: Grants and contracts from federal agencies (NIH), foundations, and industry for medical research. VCU achieved all-time high of $363M in sponsored research.
3. Clinical Care Revenue: Patient care services provided through VCU Health System by faculty physicians across 200+ specialties.
4. Philanthropy and Donations: Gifts from alumni, donors, and friends supporting scholarships, research, and programs. Record-breaking fundraising mentioned.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

VCU School of Medicine delivers medical and biomedical education (M.D., Ph.D., M.S., dual-degree, and certificate programs), graduate medical education (residency and fellowship across 91 specialty programs for 750+ trainees), and clinical research anchored by an integrated academic medical center that pairs faculty physicians with VCU Health. The institution pairs degree-granting instruction with hands-on clinical rotations at MCV Hospitals, the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU, and affiliated sites, supplemented by sponsored research, continuing medical education, and an AI-enabled clinical research database for steatotic liver disease research.

Product overview

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine offers a comprehensive portfolio of medical and biomedical education programs. The core educational offerings include the four-year M.D. program, graduate medical education with over 91 residency and fellowship programs (training 750+ trainees), Ph.D. programs, Master of Science programs, and dual degree options (MD-PhD, MD-MPH). The institution also provides a Premedical Graduate Health Sciences Certificate (CERT) program as a pathway for students preparing for medical or dental school admission. In research, the school collaborates with external partners on specialized databases such as the AI-enabled steatotic liver disease database developed with Century Health at the Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health. The school operates as a unified academic medical center rather than a software product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Medical Education (M.D. Program) Four-year Doctor of Medicine degree program training future physicians through classroom instruction, clinical rotations, and clerkships.
• Graduate Medical Education (Residency & Fellowship) Graduate medical education programs overseeing more than 750 trainees across over 91 specialty programs, including residency and fellowship training.
• Ph.D. Programs Doctoral research programs in biomedical sciences offered through the Biomedical Sciences Doctoral Portal.
• Master of Science Programs Graduate-level master's degree programs in various biomedical science disciplines.
• MD-PhD Dual Degree Program Combined medical and doctoral research degree for students pursuing academic medicine and research careers.
• MD-MPH Dual Degree Program Joint Doctor of Medicine and Master of Public Health degree program offered in partnership with the VCU School of Public Health, with concentrations in applied public health, cancer prevention and control science, and epidemiology.
• Premedical Graduate Health Sciences Certificate (CERT) One-year in-person graduate certificate program for individuals seeking to enhance qualifications for admission to medical or dental school, featuring a curriculum update starting Fall 2025 with Professional Skills and Readiness courses.
• Continuing Medical Education Professional development programs providing continuing education opportunities for health care providers across the MCV Campus.

Quantifiable outcome

• Record $363M in sponsored research funding achieved
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Century HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 April 2026Collaboration to create an AI-enabled clinical research database focused on steatotic liver disease. The database will leverage Century Health's technology to extract structured and unstructured data from electronic health records, enabling analysis across tens of thousands of patient records for disease characterization, progression patterns, and clinical outcomes. Initial focus areas include fibrosis, non-invasive biomarkers, patterns of alcohol exposure, and major clinical outcomes.
• Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuaranteed interview partnership for CERT program graduates. Students who complete CERT in two consecutive semesters with cumulative GPA of 3.5 or better and meet MCAT criteria (508+ for VCU, 500+ for VCOM) or DAT criteria (20+) may earn guaranteed interview for admission to VCOM's D.O. program.
• VCU School of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for M.D.-M.P.H. dual degree program allowing students to earn both Doctor of Medicine and Master of Public Health degrees within five years. Offers concentrations in applied public health, cancer prevention and control science, and epidemiology.
• VCU Health SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntegrated academic health system comprising MCV Hospitals, School of Medicine clinical departments, and MCV Physicians. Provides clinical training environment and patient care services.
• Virginia State University (HBCU)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCancer center partnership with neighboring HBCU receiving $1.7M grant to increase health equity and research pipeline diversity.
• Inova Fairfax HospitalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical program at Inova Fairfax Hospital for 48 medical students, praised for richness and diversity of learning environment and new education building.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Duke University School of Medicine: Top-tier private research medical school with substantially larger research base and brand. Competitor for sponsored research, faculty recruits, and specialty training applicants in the Mid-Atlantic/Southeast corridor.
• Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine: Top-tier research medical school and broader incumbent in the Mid-Atlantic. Competes with VCU for NIH funding, faculty recruits, and high-caliber applicants, though at substantially larger scale and brand prestige.

Direct peers

• University of Maryland School of Medicine: Mid-Atlantic public research medical school in Baltimore with comparable size, NIH-funded research base, and integrated academic health system model. Direct comparable for sponsored research scale and residency breadth.
• Medical University of South Carolina: Public academic medical center in the Southeast with comparable profile: integrated health system, multiple residency programs, and significant NIH-funded research. Direct comparable for size and operating model.
• University of Virginia School of Medicine: Virginia's other flagship public medical school, located in Charlottesville. Direct comparable as a public research medical school within the same state, competing for similar applicants, NIH funding, and faculty.
• Wake Forest University School of Medicine: Mid-Atlantic/Southeast private medical school with comparable research scale and academic medical center structure. Comparable on research output, residency program breadth, and specialty clinical services.
• George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences: Mid-Atlantic medical school with similar dual-degree offerings and urban academic medical center structure. Comparable for graduate medical education scale and biomedical Ph.D. programs.
• Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine: Urban public medical school with comparable size, mission focus, and applicant profile. Comparable as a public research medical school serving a metropolitan catchment with broad specialty training programs.

Regional players

• Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine: Virginia-based public medical school (Roanoke). Comparable as a public Virginia medical school with similar applicant pipeline and state-funded research mission, though smaller and newer.
• Eastern Virginia Medical School (Old Dominion University): Norfolk, VA-based medical school, recently merged with Old Dominion University. Comparable as a public Virginia medical school competing for similar in-state applicants and clinical training partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/22922516119
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/virginia-commonwealth-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/vcuschoolofmedicine
• Xx.com/vcu

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine