The University of Richmond is a private liberal arts college situated on a 350-acre suburban campus six miles from downtown Richmond and 90 miles from Washington, D.C.
The school prides itself on its low student-faculty ratio and the small size of its undergraduate classes. The university also brags that it's the only school in the country that has a spider as its mascot; in 2014, it obtained a live tarantula and placed it in a plastic container so it could watch over the basketball team's warm-up sessions. (Today, Tarrant supervises the men's basketball home games, while Ginny Lew hangs out at the women's games.)
Spiders — the students, not the arachnids — enjoy the University of Richmond's fantastic weather, which allows them to play sports, lounge and study on the many grassy lawns around campus. Students say they both work hard and play hard, and the data bears this out: The school’s six-year graduation rate is impressive at almost 86%, according to Money's calculations.
Looking to go beyond the bounds of classroom work? The college offers the Richmond Guarantee, which makes all undergraduates eligible for fellowships to help cover the costs associated with unpaid or underpaid internships or research projects (up to $5,000).
