College classes have begun in the Richmond area, with thousands of freshmen joining the quest for degrees.
Classes for nearly 32,000 students on Virginia Commonwealth University’s academic and medical campuses begin Thursday, Aug. 25.
The university announced a record freshman class of 4,200 students, many of whom moved into campus residence halls last Friday and Saturday.
Nearly 900 African-Americans are among the new students, representing 19 percent of the freshman class, according to VCU. Another 13 percent of freshmen are Asians and 9 percent are Latinos, the school reported.
Overall, minorities represent about half of the freshman class, with nearly 90 percent Virginia residents, VCU stated.
Classes also have started at the two other universities in the city.
Virginia Union University welcomed more than 600 freshmen among the 1,800 mostly African-American students attending classes at its North Side campus.
Separately, the University of Richmond reported enrolling about 800 freshmen — 28 percent of whom are students of color — beginning the fall session. Overall, the university reports nearly 2,900 students are enrolled at the West End campus.
