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University of Virginia History and Research

Resources for researching the institution and its individuals

Students and Alumni

This page gathers information on current and historic student life at UVA, including online exhibits and archival collections, and alumni organizations. 

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 Research: Getting Started

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

Resources on Historic 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: 

Recommended books and films on individual students or student life: 

Highlights from the University Archives and other archival collections

Dissertations and Theses

All dissertations or theses written by UVA graduates held by the library are listed in our catalog, Virgo. The library does not hold all dissertations and theses ever written by a UVA student. Use Virgo to search the nearly 200,000 dissertations or theses we hold. If you don't see a dissertation or thesis you expect to find, we suggest requesting a transcript from the Registrar; the transcript should show if the student wrote a dissertation or thesis. You may also try reaching out to individual departments. 

If you are the author or related to the author of a dissertation or thesis, please fill out this form to contact Digital Production Group for a complimentary scanned copy. Requestors must be able to show identity or proof of relation.

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 newspapers, magazines, and other publications