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University of Virginia History and Research

Resources for researching the institution and its individuals

Course Catalog

The UVA Record, or the Record. Also called The Catalog until 1907. Our course catalog. 1825-2008. The Record organizes classes by school, so a bound issue of the Record will contain several printed books for that year, often one per school. 

  • Available in print in Shannon's Reference Room and to check out, by request, 1850-1907, and 1907-2008. 
  • Available in print in Special Collections, 1825-1907 and 1907-2008. 
  • Available online: via HathiTrust, 1865-1923.
  • To browse professional school catalogs only, these are listed below; these are included in the Record as well. 
  • After 2008, the Record is online only. 

NB: Early copies of the Record include lists of faculty, students, and administrators, prior year's graduates, and Board of Visitors members. They also include advertisements, student directory information, as well as course descriptions, graduation requirements, fees, and university policies. Later copies dropped the student directories but still contain a wealth of information. Beginning with Summer 2005 session, the catalog went online-only. View these via the University Registrar. 

Directories

See also the Record, above, for pre-1900 student directories. 

University Directory. 1886-2014. An awesome resource that includes advertisements and campus information in addition to student information.

Faces: a student and sometimes staff directory. For incoming students. 

University News

UVA Today. Published by the University News, a unit of University Communications. 2008-present. 

  • Available online via their website. 

Inside UVA. Published by the University's Office of Publications, a predecessor to UVA Today. 1979-2007. 

University Register. Published by the University's Office of Publications, a predecessor to Inside UVA. 1971-79. 

A handwritten index to the University Register and Inside UVA dating through the mid 1980s is available in Special Collections. This resource indexes topics, individuals, buildings, schools, programs, departments, events, and more. 

Alumni Publications: News and Directories

Virginia: The University of Virginia Magazine. The alumni magazine, published by the Alumni Association. 1993-present. 

Alumni News. The former alumni magazine, published by the Alumni Association. 1913-1993. 

A handwritten index to the Alumni News and the Alumni Bulletin is located in the Shannon Library Reference Room. Ask at the Shannon Reference Desk for an introduction. 

Alumni Bulletin. The first alumni magazine. 1894-1924. 

  • Available in print by request and in Special Collections. First 14 volumes in the Shannon Reference Room. The Alumni Bulletin is focused on news of the university and faculty and do not contain class notes. 

A handwritten index to the Alumni News and the Alumni Bulletin is located in the Shannon Library Reference Room. Ask at the Shannon Reference Desk for an introduction. 

Alumni directories

For the first century of the University, alumni directories were published every few decades. These directories were called lists, catalogs, or were titled generically such as 'Alumni of UVA'. For the first 75 or so years of the University, students were not always consistently recorded for a wide variety of reasons. For example, a professor's daughter may have attended courses at UVA but never have been 'registered' as a student. Because of this, there can be inconsistencies between the University Registrar, the yearbook, and other resources such as these directories. Check the item to see if it's available in print in Shannon's Reference Room, by request, or at Special Collections. 

1878 (also online); 1910; 'lost' alumni, 1912; 'overseas' alumni, 1918; 1921 (also online); women grads, 1921-1925; living alumni, 1931; 1981.

See professional school alumni magazines below. 

Other University Publications

There are many other UVA, especially student, publications for which we hold just a handful of issues. Find a full list of UVA Periodicals held by the library in Virgo. Many academic departments send out newsletters, see each department's website or staff for details. Some academic departments have historic materials in the University Archives, but not all; check Virgo and the UA Record Groups. 

Final Exercises Programs

Final exercises (graduation) programs are available in print in Special Collections: 1888-1986, 1894-1941, 1984-present. Some years missing. Contain lists of graduates for all schools of the University and information on awards, honorary societies, and departmental degree ceremonies. 

The University of Virginia Newsletter

Published by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service from 1918 through 2008, this newsletter is available in print by request, 1925-63, and on microfilm from 1925-65, in print 1997-2008; also in Special Collections from 1918-1997 and 1997-2008. These newsletters are an awesome resource on a wide variety of topics, including articles on Virginia history, University history, contemporary issues, public policy, and more. A handwritten index to this publication is available in Special Collections covering 1932-1978. 

The UVA Press

The University of Virginia Press was founded in 1963 - all titles are approved by the Board of Visitors. The Press focuses primarily on the humanities and social sciences with special concentrations in American history, African American studies, southern studies, literature, ecocriticism, architecture, and regional books. 

The Virginia Quarterly Review

The VQR was founded in 1925 and is still a part of the University, though fairly independent. A quarterly publication publishing literature, poetry, journalism, photography, and graphic arts. Available online and in print in Shannon's Reference Room and by request. 

Studies in Bibliography

Published by the Bibliographic Society, this annual journal focuses on print materials, textual criticism, maps, manuscripts, etc. The group also provides scholarships, supports exhibits, and runs a Book Collecting Contest. SiB is available online and in print; view their other publications.