Graduate Excellence Campaign Boosts Student Support, Strengthens UVA's Competitiveness

An ambitious campaign to enhance the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences’ investment in excellence in graduate education continues to deliver on its early unprecedented promise.

It took 133 years for the Graduate School to accumulate an endowment of $100 million, but since the launch of the Graduate Excellence Campaign in 2023, donor contributions to the campaign have more than doubled that amount in just two years.

Thanks in large part to the campaign, the Graduate School is increasing student support for the fourth consecutive year. Following this most recent boost, living support for A&S graduate students will increase to $37,080 for the 2026-27 academic year. This support represents a 43% increase from four years ago (2022-23).

Direct student living support is just a portion of what the Graduate School invests in the success of each graduate student: tuition, fees and health insurance rates for the 2026-27 academic year bring the total annual support to approximately $81,400 per fully supported student this coming fall.

Arts & Sciences produces more than 50 percent of the University’s Ph.D. graduates, and the ability to support high-quality programs is directly related to conducting worldclass research and attracting faculty and undergraduate student talent. These recent successes come at a time when some of the most prominent academic institutions in the United States have announced plans to cut graduate admissions, including even pausing them entirely for some programs  due to mounting financial pressures. The competition to recruit and retain top graduate students remains fierce, however, and financial living assistance plays a pivotal role in the Graduate School’s ability to compete in the recruitment of top graduate students.

“Graduate education is the lifeblood of our University and of Arts & Sciences,” says Christa Acampora, Buckner W. Clay Professor of Philosophy and dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. “They serve as thought partners for our faculty and explore the leading edges of discovery and creative activity. Graduate students also mentor undergraduates, prepare them for more advanced study, and open doors of opportunity for participation in worldclass research. Graduate excellence is a powerful driver of the University’s reputation.”

Increased Support Fuels Measurable Impact

The Graduate School’s ability to stay the course with the campaign’s support has led to other positive results. The campaign has enabled the Graduate School to award named fellowships to graduate students in recognition of their excellence in research and academic achievements. This year’s cohort of 27 graduate fellows represents a wide array of research interests across the sciences, arts and humanities, and social sciences.

Since the 2023-24 academic year, domestic Ph.D. applications to A&S graduate programs have also increased each year, including an increase from 2,151 (2023-24) to 2,829 for the 2026-27 academic year. The commitments to graduate education and increased graduate student support are also paying off in terms of recruiting successes. A&S graduate programs have experienced increased competitiveness in recruiting against both top public and private institutions.

The Graduate School’s related “win rate” — the percentage of graduate students who choose UVA over offers from other top programs — has nearly doubled from 16% (in relation to top private university competitors) to 30% in the past few years.

“The extent to which graduate students contribute to the College’s education and research is often not understood,” said T. Brent Gunnoe, associate dean for graduate education and Commonwealth Professor of Chemistry. “Our ability to recruit top-tier graduate students directly contributes to our ability to recruit and retain talented faculty as well as to the College’s goal of delivering the best undergraduate education. UVA cannot attain its goal as the nation’s top public university without top-tier graduate programs in the College.”

Robert Brehm, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Politics, said funding for financial living support plays a critical role in every graduate student’s decision-making process when selecting the right program.

“Pursuing a graduate degree takes years of commitment, and the importance of these increases in living support can’t be ignored,” said Brehm, president of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Council. “Graduate students are essential to the fabric of this university, as teachers, research assistants and future scholars who help advance UVA. This place cannot run without us.”

In his role as director of graduate studies for UVA’s Department of Physics, and as a researcher who has been collaborating with graduate students in his lab on the Large Hadron Collider project, professor Chris Neu recognizes that graduate students are the engine that drives innovation and creative practice at UVA.

“They play an outsized role in every aspect of the University’s mission: research, teaching, mentorship, community outreach and many other aspects of the university enterprise,” Neu said. “In order for UVA to remain a global leader in higher education, it is essential that it attracts and retains the best graduate students in the world. The investments made through the Graduate Excellence Campaign are a testament to UVA's commitment to nurturing current and future graduate cohorts.”