For Incoming Students

Welcome to the home on the Web for the University of Richmond’s Academic Advising Resource Center (AARC).  If you’re a new or prospective student wondering about the University of Richmond, you might have questions about student-faculty interaction, how advising works, or how new students find their way through the university’s procedures and resources. At Richmond, first-year students are paired with an academic advisor who helps provide answers to questions, serves as a guide in navigating the procedures, systems and resources, and provides support for making good choices.

One of the things new students may not realize is that a college education is really composed of many decisions made one at a time. Should I take this class or that class? Should I join this organization or that one? Should I study abroad, find an internship, do independent research, add a minor to my major, start pursuing a career, take up a musical instrument, volunteer in the community, study something I didn’t enjoy in high school…or any of so many other questions that can arise. An academic advisor is a faculty or staff member who is assigned to help you find answers to such questions. Advisors don’t make decisions for you at Richmond, but they do encourage you to consider options, weigh possibilities, and use the university’s many resources. They assist you as you choose courses and make other important decisions, and they are available to answer questions that arise throughout the year.

In addition, the AARC sponsors a Peer Advisor program that assigns an upper-level student to work with new students, providing additional assistance in adjusting to college life and finding answers to questions. Academic Advisors and Peer Advising Associates work together with the AARC and the Deans of Westhampton and Richmond Colleges to provide a variety of types and sources of assistance to new and returning students. In other words, if you have questions, there is definitely someone available to help you.

Finally, the AARC works with other offices to provide a "New Spiders" website that provides our new incoming students with all the information and steps they need to begin their years at Richmond.  Prospective students are welcome to browse the site all they like, while incoming students are encouraged to read through the New Spiders information and work through the Checklist for New Students carefully.

Transfer Students

Students attending other institutions who are considering transferring to the University of Richmond should contact the University's Office of Admission. Students who are accepted for transfer to Richmond at the beginning of the school year will be assigned a faculty advisor, ideally within the student’s intended major. Students who transfer to Richmond mid-year will work initially with the staff of the Academic Advising Resource Center to create a schedule, and they will be assigned an advisor (again, ideally within the student’s intended major) by the start of spring semester. With an assigned advisor and with the AARC staff available, we work hard to be sure students have all the assistance they need as they make their many academic choices.

If you would like to know more about advising at the University of Richmond, please feel free to contact us. We’re happy to help in any way we can.