University of Virginia History and Research

UVA Library and Special Collections can help you to find materials on people who attended or graduated from the university. We do not hold transcripts or 'student records'. Depending on the year(s) the person attended or graduated and availability, you can read the following online or receive scanned materials via email: 

• yearbook student lists or photos
• lists of graduates from the catalog/register of classes
• articles from the Cavalier Daily, the student newspaper
• class notes from the Alumni News
• final exercises (graduation) program

Follow the steps below to discover these materials. 

Begin by identifying the dates or range of dates when the individual was on Grounds, or their graduation year. In the first 25 to 30 years of UVA students generally attended for 1-3 years; it was common for a student to attend courses for a year or two but not formally graduate. 

All researchers can begin by searching the individuals' name in our catalog, Virgo. Any unique materials that are known to be related to or portraying that individual will be listed; all of our collections, including Special Collections materials, are listed in Virgo. Read more guidance on searching for other types of materials related to an individual. 

If you are interested in conducting genealogical research, we suggest beginning with resources that are locally available to you. Most public libraries offer access to Ancestry, which includes historical records pertaining to states, communities, and individuals from all over the country. A great way to begin is with a genealogy workshop. Also, check out our Genealogy Research Guide. 

Next, use the links below to search books available in the public domain via HathiTrust and Google Books. 

Once you've identified a timeframe, choose the appropriate section below for next steps: 

Era 1: 1825 through 1889 | Era 2: After 1890

Resources on students from this era are available in print and online, via HathiTrust. To find out if we have a record of an individual attending or graduating from the University, begin by consulting the public domain materials. You can also visit Shannon Library in person or set up an appointment by emailing library@virginia.edu. 

If you don't find the individual you're seeking and don't live near Charlottesville, or want to check additional resources not available online, reach out the Reference Team for help by email at library@virginia.edu or by phone at 434-924-3021. Those librarians will refer patrons to the Special Collections when needed. If you live near or are visiting Charlottesville, visit Shannon Library in person during our open hours - we are open to the public and provide reference services seven days a week. 

Resources available via HathiTrust in the public domain

Resources in the 4th Floor Reference Room Collection in Shannon Library

These items are the starting point for researching individuals from this era. Other publications and resources listed on other parts of this guide may also be of interest. 

In this era, the yearbook, called Corks and Curls, is the first place to look, and is publicly available online. When searching Corks and Curls: 

• Students and graduating seniors are listed by school. Many first and some second year students will be listed in the College of Arts and Sciences, and move to the school of their major in later years. So, it's important to check each school's section.
• Student activities such as athletics, Greek associations, student leadership, clubs, etc, are also listed separately, so users may need to browse many areas of each yearbook. 
• Individual photos are included beginning in 1933 for the graduating class and in 1952 for all students; prior to this photos are primarily of groups: the graduating classes, sports, fraternities, and clubs, etc. 
• In later years, late 1970s-80s, professional school yearbooks are published separately. 

If the individual you're seeking attended a professional school, you may want to consult the Health Sciences, Nursing History, or Law Special Collections for additional materials. Darden does not maintain archival collections separate from the Small Special Collections. 

Resources available via HathiTrust in the public domain

Resources from the 4th Floor Reference Room Collection in Shannon Library

See Newspapers, Magazines, and other publications for a full list of print resources, including date ranges of publication. 

Are you looking for other materials that mention this person? Here's how to find them:

• transcripts: These can only be requested through the University Registrar; we don't hold transcripts at the library or special collections. Transcripts are only released to proven relatives of alumni and list courses and grades. Transcripts can be ordered with the student's SSN or student ID number. Students enrolled after 1985 will receive electronic transcripts; before 1985 will receive paper transcripts. If you don't know the student's information,  contact the Registrar via email at ureg@virginia.edu. 

• archival collections: All of our archival collections are included in Virgo, the library's catalog. If you think we may hold materials related to this person or donated by them, searching their name in Virgo will return any materials associated with them. 

• photographs: Very few of the photographs in our collections are associated with specific individuals. Searching in Virgo will return any records of photographs of that person. 

• theses and dissertations: If this person donated a copy of their thesis or dissertation to the library, it is listed in Virgo. We provide complimentary scans of all theses and dissertations in our collections by request. 

• student records: There is no office at UVA that maintains a centralized 'student record'. Records retention and management is up to each University unit/office/area in coordination with University Records Management.