I've passed by Virginia Wesleyan so many times but never entered the campus until last fall. It's a much larger & vibrant campus than I had expected from my viewpoint driving past. There is one gate with a manned checkpoint on the gated campus. I indicated where I was going & the friendly gate keeper gave me exact directions. What I had thought was a small university was actually much bigger, thanks in major part to donations & efforts of philanthropist Jane Batten. My visit was to the Batten Student Center, which was bustling with activity in the evening hours that I was there. It was a beautiful, well equipped place where students could gather, participate in indoor sports & have 2nd story meeting room spaces, The private college has grown in prestige & enrollment in recent years, thanks to the efforts of Jane Batten. In 2026 a major change will come, which is welcomed & applauded by all. In addition to the move of the Virginia Museum for Contemporary Arts to the VWU University campus, the name of the universally will be changed to Batten University. The campus is located on Wesleyan Drive very near the I-64 exit for Northampton Boulevard. A turn to the south on Wesleyan Drive will take one past the entrance gate and main campus. Congratulations to the university on its well deserved increased pathway to the future. read more

This was a great place to live and learn a decade ago. Scott Miller has ruined its reputation and warmth. Post graduation, you can expect contact at every possible turn to ask you for donations (though you're probably still paying back the money you gave them initially). Then you can expect to be called mean-spirited for daring to voice an opinion on a topic very dear to you. You can expect flat out lies about valuing honest discourse and open communication. And lastly you can expect an odd feeling of nostalgia for a home that doesn't exist any longer, except for in the friends you made while there. 0/10 Spark Brought, Fire Lit read more

We were visiting colleges in the Tidewater area and tried to visit Batten but they wouldn't let us on campus because we weren't signed up for a tour. Due to a very tight schedule (and traffic in the area), we didn't sign up for one because we thought we could at least grab a map and do a self-guided tour like most universities, but it wasn't an option! We were visiting from out of town and were disappointed that we couldn't get through the front gate. read more

It was once a great place for higher education, however, the current administration has allowed the school dorms to fall into unhealthy living conditions, as well as other buildings being built to adulate President Scott Miller, and Jane Batten! My own child contracted Black Mold Syndrome from the living conditions. When I was a student there, they cared about the students. Alumni were valued, not just for donations, but their contributions that they gave to students and student life, athletics, and classrooms, many have been employed by the college historically because of the love they had for this once great institution. I suggest all potential students and parents do your own deep dive into how the school has changed during its growth since the hiring of Scott Miller as President. He has 2 failed colleges on his resume and has several accusations of plagiarism, all public knowledge, just dig. As students and parents, your funds will eventually wind up padding his pockets. Please make note that many of the 10,000 alumni have made the conscious decision to walk away from their once loved alma mater, dig you'll find the answer why. read more

Very close to Norfolk Premium Outlets and food options. Very accessible to the interstate. read more

Batten University - Virginia Wesleyan University - Colleges & Universities Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

They mistreat their alumni and anyone who wants to engage in good faith debate. The board of trustees hired a president previously accused of plagiarism. They erased the history and identity of the University. read more

While the academic standards are acceptable, the dormitory facilities are outdated and in urgent need of renovation due to mold concerns and leaking ceilings. Given the high cost of tuition, the school should provide more value and support for its students. Several key areas need immediate improvement: Student transportation - Many freshmen do not have personal vehicles, making it difficult to access essential services and resources. Reliable transportation options, such as student vans, should be provided. Food options - Dining choices are limited and should be expanded to better meet students' needs. Student activities - There is a lack of engaging, age-appropriate activities. Current offerings feel more suited to middle or high school students rather than a college environment. Overall, meaningful changes are needed immediately to improve the student experience and justify the cost of attendance. read more

I spent nearly $5000 on the cyber security bootcamp and its a complete waste of money. Its a copy of the $50 book at the book store and the course is completely unstructured. There is like 4 different study sources that do not have a cohesive structure. The projects have no format out lines or actual reference materials on how they should be done. You're supposed to get a certain amount of basically conversations with what they call a instructor. But its not a instructor at all. Also when i asked to talk yo her for guidance i was given the run around and received zero help. Please what ever you do don't buy into this scam . They refused to even help when i went to the administration and refused a refund. I read more

Sons enjoyed Marlins baseball Camp. $100 (x2) for a 4 day experience (830a - 12n) geared toward kids 6-14 years old. Run by VWU coaches, players and other paid staff. Good pre-camp email communication by assistant coach Kyle DuBois. My boys asked me to stay for day 1 where I had the pleasure of chatting with head coach, Chris Francis. He even invited me to the press box to enjoy the comfort of ac in the blazing heat. Great guy! Despite hellfire temps, campers and coaches seemed to have fun with activities ranging from calisthenics, throw/catch, wiffle ball games, "triple pickle," batting cages, brief fielding drills, and a few water balloon battles. Thought there would be more formalized instruction and opportunities for pitching but that was limited to 12-14yo's. Still, Chris said it best: "we're doing our jobs when the kids want to come back and are sad it's over." On the first day, drop off traffic was insane because all sports camps (softball, baseball, soccer, etc) were bottlenecked by the security booth; I was the guy who merged into the less used second feeder lane. #SorryNotSorry. Wasn't a fan of far off picnic table check-in, not to mention the decision to corral 50 boys in a dugout from 830a to 9am in full sunlight. They did have port-a-potties, water coolers and a dedicated trainer in the dugout every day. One day the sprinklers came on during camp; kids enjoyed it too much for that to have been a mistake. read more

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I would give zero stars. If you have mold sensitivity, allergies, or respiratory issues, stay clear of this place. The dorms are disgusting as well as laundry areas and bathrooms. If you don't get sick from MOLD, you'll walk away with depression. The campus is lack luster. Put your money toward CNU. Their tours and welcome events involve a popcorn stand and stuffed animal maker. It's shameful read more

My daughter is attending VWU in the fall so we came for a campus visit. There is definitely a 60s vibe but you can tell they're spending lots of money to grow the school. I appreciate that this school is smaller with fewer students. It's expensive but my hope is that my daughter will be surrounded by professors and staff who care about her and help her succeed. Excited to be a Marlins family. read more

Batten University - Campus tour! - Colleges & Universities Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

I went here for my first year of College.. I'd start by saying picking through and finding good people on campus, student body and even in the teachers is hard. I struggled after the first 2-3 months and even when I tried to book a counseling appointment because I wasn't from this state to go an actual therapist I was denied or either given the round around. I met the span of multiple people yet only talk to maybe 2-3 of those people since being and leaving the school (I go to TCC now and plan on transferring to NSU or ODU). When I was roofied here, and had an idea of who do it they never went to investigate and furthermore didn't even tell my mother (I was still 17 at the time) and instead blamed it on me because I had consumed alcohol and made me take a class for alcoholism and safety. Academic wise, I only had a heart to heart with ONE of my teachers, a nice lady that was in my gender studies class and she really helped me a lot although by then I was already so far gone I just wanted to get out. The teachers are flat out rude, and don't get me started on my academic counselor either. He never truly had my best interest and towards the end showed his true colors to both me and my room mate, the only girl I had trusted there and spent most of my time with, working the same jobs, going to cafe at the same time, had most of the same classes etc. Looking from the outside in, this is a beautiful school and I had high hopes for this university because my older cousin has went here and graduated, but my hopes were quickly diminished and I should've taken the advice of my aunt and uncle who went here and left after the first year as well around the same time to go to NSU/ODU. Take your money elsewhere for the price you pay they let you sleep in moldy rooms, communal bathrooms that were rarely cleaned (I learned girls can be just as disgusting hygienically as the boys), don't give you any mental help when it comes down to it, and just puts you in a deeper hole of shame and resentment towards yourself unless you're a Honors student. Don't get me started on ResLife because then this review will probably take an entire page on your screen; They seemed to only care about catching you doing something wrong that actually providing protection to their students. Enroll and stay here at your own risk. read more

Virginia Wesleyan was a great school for solid, middle of the road students through the early-2000s. The third head of school was (and always will be) the best president who made everything about the students! Throughout the following decade, they chased Phi Betta Kappa status. It was not long after changes in administration that the atmosphere went south. It was no longer about the students. It was about the Board and the Head of School. Alumni, along with plenty of others, were chastised, bullied and treated like scum. Once the school moved to university status, there was a push for alumni to get replacement diplomas signed by people who were not affiliated with the COLLEGE when they were students. Read that again. If you criticized anything, you were subject to being blocked (social media), banned (from visiting - despite the "everyone is always welcome" bit) or bullied by sycophants. Thank GOD I had the foresight to get an advanced degree from a reputable institution, because the value of my undergraduate degree (and the degree many others received) has been greatly diminished. I - and others - pulled diplomas off the wall, closed our wallets and stopped making referrals. Read for yourself, and rest assured this is not the end. https://www.13newsnow.com/video/home/incoming-vwc-president-accused-of-plagarism/291-379143 P.S.: Not taking responsibility for the fallout gets you an honorary degree. WOW! read more

WOW WHAT A GREAT COLLEGE CAMPUS! First of all the graduation was amazing!! Kudos to the graduates!!! The ceremony was outstanding! Both the speakers and audio set up was great. The water stands located every corner was very appreciated during the outdoor graduation and thank you to all of those who made the water runs! The campus buildings inside and out looks great!! Such a well designed campus, it really is! The students art work inside is such a great touch! Here's a photo of my in-laws after the ceremony. read more

Batten University - Colleges & Universities Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

Beautiful campus! It is a secured area and you do have to check in at the guard shack. My son uses the pool a few times a week, so this review is solely based on the pool/locker room area. This week the ventilation system is not working which has not made it good swimming conditions. The pool deck area could be maintained better for cleanliness, but in no way is filthy. The men's locker room often smells and is most likely due to carpet on the floor that gets wet. Overall a nice pool and pretty campus. We will continue to come back. read more

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When I first moved into my dorm, I noticed how dirty my room looked with trash in it and smelled like mold, unlike the one I was shown on my tour. That set the tone for the rest of the year. The air conditioners in my room were filled with mold, the windows had to be pushed closed from outdoors, the shower would back up out of the drain, there were three people crammed into rooms meant for two, and so forth. I filed a claim about the air conditioners and it was ignored, which seemed to be what happened with all reports, despite me actually becoming ill from the mold. I decided to go to Thomas Nelson Community College after my first year. On my last day at Virginia Wesleyan, I grabbed my own vacuum cleaner and cleaning supplies to avoid getting charged any extra fines, and they still hit me with a fine for "leaving the room dirty," as if they cared. The living conditions ruined any positive elements of my year there. It bothered me that they were building beautiful new buildings such as the theater, but could not put some effort into restoring the dorms, which were nice buildings, just neglected. It has been a couple years and I am currently at Old Dominion University, so perhaps things have gotten better over at Wesleyan, but I have heard that they have not. read more

I graduated from VWC with a bachelor's double majoring in Communications and Spanish. It's a wonderful school. A small student body offers you lots of personal attention from your professors. (The downside of that is you will have a lot more expected of you because the professors are really paying attention!) You will come out of college a well rounded scholar because of all the personal attention you get at VWC as well as all of the academic requirements. Life on campus is definitely not as exciting as it is at bigger schools. I lived off campus and was more focused on school than social life, so it worked well for me. There are always activities to join and events going on, but the groups you can join are not as lively as you would get on a bigger campus. It's definitely not a huge party school like Radford or ECU. My professors and advisors in both of my majors became mentors who really helped me not only academically and professionally, but personally. Now that I am out of school, I consider them friends. I meet one of my former professors regularly just to hang out. She still mentors me, and we have a great friendship. If you are not a student, you should still check the college's calendar of events and attend some of the events on campus. There are usually high-quality music and drama performances as well as lecture series events that would make a trip to campus worthwhile. read more

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Parents, save your money and send your students to a reputable institution of higher learning!! Instructors here are under pressure from administration to pass students who don't deserve the grade! How will your sons and daughters receive a valid education in such an environment!? One of the professors gave a lecture and included the information that the university is stressed for funding and we should anticipate tuition to increase to help them pay their overhead expenses. Unbelievable!! This is NOT the high quality university it was long ago! Stay away! There is no good reason for them to charge the existing tuition when their academic standards are so low. Save yourself the disappointment of finding out the hard way, as I unfortunately did. read more

My child is transferring after his first semester. He has a chemistry teacher that cancels his office hours meetings more than the teacher actually shows up for them to help the students. A baseball coach that after my son paid $250 for a donation and baseball gear cut him from the team because he showed up late for a Saturday game (he wasn't even playing). The night before the kids had an alarm and lights going off at all times of the night because of their faulty alarm system. How would the kids get some sleep? read more

I transferred into Virginia Wesleyan college and attended for 2 years. I graduated with a BS in Earth & Environmental Science (EES). The EES department was fantastic. I really enjoyed all of my professors and the program prepared me for a wide variety of jobs. Before graduating this past spring I was accepted into a Master of Science program and I accepted a job offer in my field of study. I can't speak for every program at VWC, but I certainly can recommend the EES program to anyone with a passion for the Earth and the environment. The campus and nice and small. It's very pretty, really. There are trails through the wooded sections. It's also very safe. There is only one road leading onto campus and you have to pass through security to enter. Security also obviously patrols the campus. They are friendly and helpful. Class sizes are typically pretty small. I received a very personalized education and really got to know my professors in the two short years I spent at VWC. As a veteran, I can also say that the VA rep (Melanie) at the school is absolutely amazing. She is one of the most supportive and helpful people on campus. VWC is a private college, but they participate in the yellow ribbon program which covers anything the G.I. Bill doesn't. I didn't pay a dime for my education. There's a veteran's organization on campus that meets every other week and a sponsorship program for new veterans attending the school so that they have at least one familiar face on campus when they begin. read more

Possibly the worst University I have ever come in contact with. They are terrible at communication. Charge students with random fees and have no explanation. They do not allow students to live off their campus and still charge them for on-campus housing. Their credits do not transfer to ODU or any other big university. Do not make the mistake of enrolling here. read more

This is a good school, but the residents life staff needs to be fixed! David Stuebing is a terrible man, I'm pretty sure he is told to deny any request made by a student. There is black mold in the dorms. Juniors and seniors in Hotels and freshman dorms! read more

I am a 2016 graduate of VWC and enjoyed my 4 years here. I majored in Psychology and minored in Sociology. This school is small but has big opportunities. I was able to join various honor societies, become part of Greek life, complete undergraduate research, present that research at local conferences, volunteer through the community service office, and held multiple jobs on campus. There's something for everybody here, and if you don't like what you see you are encouraged to do something about it. There are always new clubs and organizations coming to campus to fit the desires of the students. I also really enjoyed having small classes (student/faculty ratio is 13:1) because the professors genuinely cared about your learning and success as their student. #goMarlins read more

This is probably THE worst University I have dealt with. Between slow maintenance on the dorm halls/rooms, uncaring staff, RUDE professors who are rude to people with emotional mental illnesses, old food which caused half of the campus to get food poisoning (ask the students), and the lack of a social life/experience on the campus? This school is made for children who are athletes and those who have money. DO NOT attend this school until you speak with students other than the tour guides!!! It's a private school so everything is up to them. They don't cancel classes for snow, they emailed students about the plans for COVID-19 March 18, 2020 @3:28p and their offices close at 4p while every other university in the Hampton-Roads area had plans, closed and sent emails a week prior. The school didn't send anything about plans, even after there was a case at Norfolk Academy NEXT DOOR to our school, until halfway through spring break. (they then prohibited students from accessing their personal belongings until April 6th whereas every other school forced students to move everything out as soon as possible. There was a mold issue in Smithdale hall where the whole dorm hall had to move into a hotel and find their way to campus every day for classes. This school is careless and will again only benefit you if you are a student-athlete, or have money to burn. read more

I was recruited to play sports for Wesleyan my senior year of high school and was so excited to go! As someone with not very strong grades, this was one of my only Colleges that accepted me. I happily left back to Community College after only a year staying there and never looked back. I met some really cool people there and still go down to visit. They have a very rude security staff, that will get you in trouble for anything, one exit and one entrance (feels like a jail), terrible cafeteria food, strict closing times for the whole campus. On top of those things, they also gave me 3 parking tickets, even though I paid 100$ for the semester. My counselor advised me to take wrong classes which wasted a whole semester and A LOT of money. Of the people I know that went there last year, I only know 4 people that stayed. I don't care if you do not agree with my response to how they treated me but something needs to be done to change the environment of that school and many would agree. Thx ! read more

Where to begin? Just to start this review off straight, this is the worst college I have ever had the experience seeing or being involved with. Res life are all unjust and are out to catch you doing anything wrong. In my one semester here, I have been stopped by security 3 times for playing "loud music", they came in my room and were dishonest about searching it and the security are all disrespectful except for a few. Our dorm was out of hot water for 14 days and my friends and I emailed and called constantly and only got resolved when coming in contact with the VP of the school. The washing machine was also out for almost a month. A Month????? for a washing machine!!! turns out there was a dead snake in it and thats why it was broken so thats good. The air conditioners in our dorms had mold leaking from them for the entire time the temperature was hot. Paint is peeling off the walls everywhere in the freshman dorms. Please do not send your child here! he/she will have the worst experience of their lives. read more