University of Richmond Seniors Head to Leading Companies and Top Graduate Schools Around the World
Commencement ceremonies celebrated more than 1,000 graduates from across schools.
From Austin to Sydney and San Francisco to London, graduating seniors are heading to jobs and graduate schools around the world.
The Class of 2025 secured opportunities at highly coveted companies and organizations, including Accenture, Barclays, L’Oreal, and Teach for America. Students are also continuing their education at some of the world’s premier graduate institutions, including Harvard, MIT, Cornell, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Oxford, Duke, Penn, and Yale.
The University of Richmond awarded more than 1,000 degrees across schools during Commencement weekend on May 10 and 11, including more than 850 undergraduate bachelor’s degrees from the School of Arts & Sciences, Robins School of Business, and Jepson School of Leadership Studies. Students also received bachelor’s and master’s degrees through the School of Professional & Continuing Studies and juris doctor degrees from the Richmond School of Law. The Commencement ceremony for graduate-level business students will be held in August.
Fun and impressive facts about this year’s graduating students include:
- 30 graduating seniors received prestigious scholarships or fellowships for national or international study, research, or service: for example, a Goldwater scholarship or a Fulbright award.
- Through study abroad, research, and internship programs around the world, 75% of the Class of 2025 (about 600 students) studied abroad with University support.
- 85% of the Class of 2025 participated in at least one internship or summer research experience, including at the United Nations in New York City, the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago, and Johnson & Johnson in Philadelphia.
- Seniors in the Bonner Scholars Program served over 40 unique nonprofit organizations in the Richmond region during their four years.
The livestreams from the various ceremonies are available here.
Eighty-five percent of the Class of 2025 from the School of Arts & Sciences, Jepson School of Leadership Studies, and Robins School of Business participated in at least one internship or summer research experience. Many of these were made possible by The Richmond Guarantee, which provides every undergraduate student the opportunity to receive a fellowship of up to $5,000 for an unpaid or underpaid summer internship or faculty-mentored research project.
A Year of Champions: Spider Athletes, Coaches, and Teams Make History
The 2024–25 academic year marked a banner chapter in the story of Richmond Athletics — one filled with championships and history-making performances. From packed venues and playoff runs to record-breaking achievements, Spider student-athletes, coaches, and staff raised the bar in every arena they entered.
A major highlight of the year was the dominant performance of the Spider women’s basketball team, who earned a second consecutive Atlantic 10 regular season title and earned their first NCAA victory in the first round with a 74–49 victory over Georgia Tech. Junior Maggie Doogan was honored as A-10 Player of the Year and coach Aaron Roussell was named both A-10 and Eastern College Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.
Even more championships and several firsts for UR athletes — the women's golf team won the inaugural A-10 Championship. The men's lacrosse team earned their first A-10 regular-season conference title and the A-10 conference tournament title. And, the women's tennis team finished the year with their most wins since 2009.
“Spiders everywhere are proud of the outstanding results achieved by so many of our teams this year,” said John Hardt, vice president and director of athletics. “This level of competitive excellence is a product of the hard work of our student-athletes, the intense preparation of our coaches and staff, and the generous support of our many fans, friends, alumni. Congratulations to all those who played a role in the success of our Spiders!”
Additional athletic highlights from 2024-25 include:
- The Spiders football program completed a perfect 8–0 conference season — its first since 1968 — and clinched a second straight conference title. The Spiders extended their Capital Cup dominance with a 27–0 shutout, the first since 1973, of rival William & Mary. The team’s 10–3 final record was its best since 2009.
- The swimming & diving team finished second at the A-10 tournament, and head coach Matt Barany was named A-10 Coach of the Year. Sophomore Melissa Nwakalor also became the first Spider swimmer to compete at the NCAA Championships since 2019.
- Spider baseball started off their season with 21 wins in their first 25 games, including a program-record, 12-game win streak.
- Field hockey returned to the A-10 tournament with their first winning season since spring 2021.
You can find more information about Richmond Athletics, including success stories, at richmondspiders.com.
Student-Athletes Excel Academically
The University of Richmond student-athlete graduation success rate is counted among the top 10 in the nation. The NCAA released the numbers in November, which included student-athletes who entered Richmond from 2014–15 through 2017–18.
Richmond's graduation success rate tied for sixth highest among Division I institutions, trailing only Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Notre Dame, and Santa Clara.
UR, Davidson, and St. Bonaventure were among the 18 schools to record Graduation Success Rates of 98%, tied for the best among the 15 schools in the Atlantic 10 conference, and well above the national average of 90%.
During the spring 2024 semester, every Spider team posted a term GPA of 3.0 or greater, a first for Richmond Athletics.
Stepping Up for Students
The 2025 UR Here Giving Day campaign attracted the most donors and dollars ever — setting new records and raising over $2.8 million in 36 hours. An unprecedented 4,800-plus donors from 50 states and 17 countries came together during the 7th annual event.
“We are so grateful to the Spider community for making the overwhelming success of this year's UR Here Giving Day possible,” said Vice President of Advancement Martha Callaghan. “This record-breaking achievement shows the incredible impact we can have when we come together as a community to support Richmond.”
UR Here Giving Day special events, which occurred from April 9 to 10, included an on-campus celebrations, alumni happy hours in 12 cities, and special receptions with President Kevin F. Hallock in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Red Bank, New Jersey. Donors documented their locations with photos and oversized “UR Here” map pins, banners, and stickers, reinforcing the theme that wherever Spiders may roam, they will always be a part of the Spider community.
Donors could direct their funds to four impact areas (Academic Excellence, Access and Affordability, Spider Athletics, and Student Experience), the 2025 UR Annual Fund’s greatest needs, or to specific schools, teams, or other areas.
Of the four impact areas, Spider Athletics received the most donations, totaling $1,281,606 from 2,574 donors.
“We're extremely fortunate to have a strong tradition of support for our Athletics program at Richmond,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics John Hardt. “The record-shattering results from this year's Giving Day are a great example of how many of our fans, friends, and family members are committed to providing our Spider student-athletes with the very best opportunities and experiences.”
The Jepson School of Leadership Studies Dean’s Impact Fund raised the highest amount among the five UR schools. The funds will support student research, travel to conferences and academic competitions, class field trips, faculty fellowships, and the Gary L. McDowell Institute programming, which promotes the exchange of diverse perspectives on some of today’s most pressing issues.
“The Jepson School’s success at UR Here Giving Day is a tribute to the strength of our community and our academic excellence. Our students, parents, alumni, faculty and staff, and friends recognize the intrinsic value of a leadership education that prepares tomorrow’s leaders,” said Jepson School Dean Sandra Peart. “I am so grateful to everyone who donated to the Jepson School to ensure we can continue to offer the nation’s premier undergraduate leadership studies education.”
Earlier in the academic year, during Spiders Helping Spiders, a record-breaking 1,500 people donated to directly impact students' lives, raising over $400,000, a 30% increase from the previous year. Donations arrived from across the country, the U.K., and China.
“The gifts will provide critical support for students in need, including emergency expenses, tuition assistance, and career-building opportunities,” said Callaghan.
Spiders Helping Spiders includes providing donor-funded aid toward:
- Undergraduate aid and scholarships for tuition;
- The Student Emergency Fund, which provides clothing, travel, technology, meals and support during holiday breaks, emergency housing, and medical needs; and
- The Career Opportunity Fund, which assists with costs associated with professional wardrobes, graduate school application fees, and travel to interviews, conferences, job shadowing, or Spider Road Trips.
“The opportunity to receive funding for a suit for my job networking efforts is not merely about acquiring clothing, it's about investing in my personal and professional development. It empowers me to present myself confidently, reinforces the importance of self-investment, and opens doors to new opportunities,” wrote one 2024 graduate.
Alumni spanning 70 years contributed this year, beginning with the class of 1954. Donors also included parents and grandparents of students and alumni, current and former faculty and staff, and current students.
“These annual campaigns highlight the way Spiders support each other,” said Callaghan. “We belong to an incredible community. Loyal and generous support from the Spider community on an annual basis is critical to fueling our students, faculty, and programs.”