Founded in 1819, the University of Virginia is one of the oldest public universities in the United States. It is also one of the top-ranking public graduate schools in the nation, and with around 7,000 graduate students enrolled in 2023, it is the largest in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Department of History is an important center within the Arts & Sciences division, routinely ranked in the top 20 nationally among history graduate programs by U.S. News & World Reports. That means for many students, the University of Virginia will prove not just a good place but the best place to pursue graduate study when it comes to faculty mentorship and resources for their chosen topic.