University of the Virgin Islands

Public · Moderately Selective · VI

Photo: Sphilbrick (CC BY-SA 3.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationVI

SettingRural

Undergrads1,518

Student:faculty10:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate8.2%

6-yr grad rate28.2%

Drop-out rate31.4%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$6k

Out-of-state tuition$17k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity94.7%

Gender diversity68.6%

International7.2%

IdentityHBCU

Overview

The University of the Virgin Islands is the public university of the U.S. Virgin Islands, with campuses on St. Thomas and St. Croix, and one of the few historically Black universities located outside the continental United States. It serves a student body drawn heavily from the territory and the wider Caribbean, alongside a smaller mainland and international contingent, in a setting unlike any other American public university.

Academics

Marine biology is the signature program, taken advantage of by genuinely Caribbean coral reef and coastal waters rather than a lab simulation of them, and the university has a long-running relationship with NOAA and Fish and Wildlife research on St. Croix. Business and nursing are the other established strengths, with small classes across the board given the university's size.

Campus & student life

Both campuses sit on hillsides overlooking the sea, and island life shapes the rhythm of the place more than a typical American college calendar does — hurricane season, boat access to research sites, and a close-knit community where students, faculty, and staff overlap outside class. Athletics and traditions are modest compared to mainland peers of similar size.

Getting in

Admission is relatively accessible, with the applicant pool split between territory residents for whom UVI is the flagship option and a smaller group of mainland or international students drawn specifically by the marine science program or the Caribbean setting.

Worth knowing

The marine biology program's access to living reef systems is the university's most distinctive asset and the reason it draws students who would otherwise attend a mainland research university. As an HBCU with a Caribbean student body, its racial and cultural composition differs from what the HBCU label typically implies on the mainland.

uvi.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate99%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 783–1030 · ACT 19–22

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Applying