Learning support

The university offers the following centers and services as additional support to students.

Campus Learning Center

The Campus Learning Center is an academic support resource that enhances undergraduate students' academic success at VCU. All CLC services are provided at no additional cost for currently enrolled students.

Services provided include tutoring, peer-led group study sessions, academic coaching and the Science Hub. Tutoring services are provided across colleges and disciplines, varying from business, sciences and foreign languages. Students can view the drop-in schedule online and make individual appointments via Navigate. Peer-led study sessions are scheduled each semester and vary depending on student needs. The latest schedule is available on the CLC website. Academic coaching is provided by peer academic coaches for first-year students and professional coaches for continuing students. Appointments can be scheduled via Navigate, with additional details on the website. The Science Hub provides students with STEM success programming and faculty connections in the Student Hours program. Both the Student Hours schedule and success programming is available online.

The CLC also provides the Campus Testing Center, which offers administration of proctored exams, make-up testing and placement exams. For make-up testing, students must consult with their professors to arrange for tests to be taken in the testing center.

For more information, visit the CLC website or call (804) 827-8108.

Writing Center

The Writing Center offers writing assistance for undergraduate and graduate students from any discipline, at no additional charge. Consultants are trained in the practice of effective writing and writing instruction and engage with students via one-on-one sessions to strengthen writing skills and confidence.

The Writing Center is a collaborative environment designed to facilitate students’ work, with the goal of producing sharper, more critical thinking and a greater sense of audience as they write. Writing Center consultants encourage students to connect with their work, to invest in it and to take better ownership of their thinking and the subsequent writing that they produce. Negotiating the writing process is hard work made all the more difficult when students labor in isolation. Working with consultants in the Writing Center helps students overcome this isolation and gives them a chance to view their work as a meaningful expression of their thinking.

The Writing Center offers scheduled appointments, both in-person and online, as well as in-person drop-in sessions. In addition to individual consultations, group workshops are offered on individual topics, such as personal statements, APA citations and paraphrasing. 

For more information, including scheduling an appointment or registering for a workshop, please visit the Writing Center website or call (804) 828-4851.

Student-athlete support services

The Office of Student Athlete Support Services coordinates academic advising for all student-athletes throughout their enrollment at VCU. This support enhances the opportunities for academic and personal success for student-athletes. The support staff assists students in the development of educational plans, ensures that VCU policies and NCAA rules and regulations regarding academics are being followed, and that students’ needs are successfully being met.

The student-athlete adviser helps student-athletes to understand VCU policies, achieve adequate progress toward graduation, overcome academic difficulties, develop future career goals and maintain NCAA eligibility. Optimal educational and personal success is maximized through tutoring services, study hall, a mentoring program and life-skills development. All freshmen are required to meet weekly with a team adviser, sophomores meet biweekly and all upperclassmen meet with an adviser at least three times per semester. Student-athletes must meet with their adviser to register for classes each semester.

The Office of Student Athlete Support Services has implemented a unique mentoring program where student-athletes help each other create a strong game plan for success. Each semester, junior and senior student-athletes with a minimum GPA of 3.0 are chosen as mentors. The mentees are freshman student athletes and any other student-athletes in need of intense individual support. The mentors and mentees are required to meet weekly and create detailed academic plans for the coming week. The mentors are required to attend biweekly training with the staff of the Office of Student-Athlete Advising.