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University of Virginia History

Resources for researching the institution and its individuals

Contemporary Resources on Students

When researching current student life at UVA, these resources offer an overview of student organizations, called CIOs (c i o s), greek life, and administrative information, as well as some guidance on conducting research with students. 

In addition to these student-life specific resources, you should consult newspapers, magazines, and other publications, as well as our essential resources.

 

Historic Resources on Student Life

Below is a collection of online resources which collect archival information around a variety of campus events, visitors, parts of grounds, and student protests. These sites, while invaluable, represent only a part of the history of student life on campus. Other groups' materials are collected in the University Archives, with highlights listed below. 

Online exhibits and collections: 

Highlights from the University Archives: 

Athletics

Contemporary Resources on Alumni

This section includes links to alumni association and alumni magazines and websites around campus. For earlier alumni magazines, please refer to the page on newspapers, magazines, and other publications. 

Historic Resources: Directories of Students and Alumni

For historic research on student and/or alumni life, your best first resources are historic copies of UVA publications, essential resources such as the Clippings Files and Card Index, and the University Archives. 

  • If you're seeking information about a specific individual, such as a relative, please see 'Locating an Individual who attended UVA'.
  • For transcripts and replacement diplomas, consult the University Registrar. Neither the Library nor the Special Collections hold official transcripts. We can assist with course descriptions and degree requirements, especially pre-2005. For course descriptions 2005 to present, please consult the Registrar's archived versions

In addition, these historic directories on students and alumni may be of interest: 

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