Hollins is an independent liberal arts university dedicated to academic excellence and humane values. Hollins University offers undergraduate liberal arts education for women, selected graduate programs for men and women, and community outreach initiatives. The Hollins curriculum and cocurricular programs prepare students for lives of active learning, fulfilling work, personal growth, achievement, and service to society.
The Hollins community sustains talented students engaged in challenging study, and productive scholars and artists devoted to teaching and to the advancement of knowledge. Experiential learning, study abroad, and internships enhance the academic program. The hallmarks of a Hollins education are creativity and effective self-expression, problem solving and critical thinking skills, and independent inquiry and the free exchange of ideas.
Hollins nurtures civility, integrity, and concern for others, encourages and values diversity and social justice, and affirms the equal worth of women and men. Our university motto, Levavi Oculos, calls us to ledership and service in accord with the Hollins values and traditions.
Hollins University is a four-year institution of higher education, a private university located on a 475-acre campus on the border of Roanoke County, Virginia and Botetourt County, Virginia. Founded in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary, it is one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States.
Hollins has since evolved into a full university with more than 1000 enrolled undergraduate and graduate students. As Virginia's first chartered women's college, all undergraduate programs are female-only. Men are welcome in the graduate level programs.
Known for its writing program, Hollins alumna include Annie Dillard, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1975, Natasha Trethewey, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 2007, and Kiran Desai, who received the Man Booker Prize in 2006.
Initially established in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary, a coeducational college, Hollins became a woman's college in 1852. Three years later, it was renamed Hollins in recognition of benefactors John and Ann Halsey Hollins who donated generously to the school. Hollins Institute became Hollins College in 1911 and Hollins University in 1998. Hollins University has offered graduate programs since 1958.
Charles Lewis Cocke is the most recognizable force behind Hollins. The young mathematics professor from Richmond wrote at the age of 19 that he wished to dedicate himself to the "higher education of women in the South." Within a few years Cocke was principal of the institute which would become Hollins College. The motivating force behind the first women's college in Virginia and one of the first in the nation, Charles Lewis Cocke is properly known as the founder of Hollins. During an era when the education of women was thought to be a futile, possibly even dangerous business, Cocke wrote in 1857: "The plan and policy of this school recognizes the principle that in the present state of society in our country young women require the same thorough and rigid training as that afforded to young men." The main administrative building is named for him.
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| Percent of Students International: | 1% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 104% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | Yes |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | Expenses | ||
Published Tuition and Fees: |
$ 22,945 | ||
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 22,470 | ||
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 475 | ||
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 3,448 | 42% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 2,145 | 55% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 8,586 | 97% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 3,042 | 54% | |
Any Aid: |
97% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 86% (Selective) |
| Test Scores | |
| SAT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting SAT Scores: | 90% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Verbal: 530, Math: 490 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Verbal: 640, Math: 590 |
| Application Fee: | $ 35.00 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Recommended |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Recommended |
| High School GPA: | Recommended |
| High School Rank: | Recommended |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Required |
| TOEFL: | Required |
| Test Scores: | Required |
