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Hiring veterans

VCU recognizes that veterans bring an extraordinary array of skills and training to the workplace. Virginia Commonwealth University is committed to hiring and retaining veteran employees, which is an important component of VCU’s commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity. 

Preference afforded to veterans in recruitment process

In accordance with the Code of Virginia, section  2.2-2903, preference will be afforded to eligible veterans and surviving spouses and children of veterans killed in the line of duty for both faculty and staff positions. Preference will apply for initial employment, subsequent employment, promotions and competitive transfers.

Hiring managers and/or search committees must ensure that preference is given to veterans. After the initial application screening, hiring managers will treat military status (including veteran status) as a preferred qualification and military status (including veteran status) with service-connected disability as an additional preferred qualification. For example, if a veteran meets the minimum qualifications for a position, the search committee should consider his/her military status (including veteran status) as a preferred qualification.

  • "Veteran" means any person who has received an honorable discharge and (i) has provided more than 180 consecutive days of full-time, active-duty service in the armed forces of the United States or reserve components thereof, including the National Guard, or (ii) has a service-connected disability rating fixed by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
  • "Surviving spouse" means the surviving spouse of a veteran as defined herein who was killed in the line of duty.
  • "Child" means any surviving child or children under the age of 27 years of a veteran as defined herein who was killed in the line of duty.

An applicant with veterans’ preference must be offered the job when his/her qualifications (job-related experience and skills) are “substantially equal” to the best qualified applicant not eligible for veterans’ preference.

Use the VCU Jobs portal to apply for open positions and join our unstoppable workforce. VCU Jobs allows you to view open positions, track your progress in the hiring process, see the status of the position(s) for which you have applied, and update your application online.

On the application, you will be asked if you are a veteran. To be considered for preferential hiring under VA state code, you will select yes as the response to this question. You will not be required to provide any supplemental documentation of military service as part of the application process at this time.  

VCU provides accommodations to job applicants with disabilities so that they can search for jobs and interview effectively as well as enjoy equal access to employment opportunities. If you have questions or if you need accommodations during the application and interview process, please contact VCU Human Resources at (804) 828-0177 (Voice), (800) 828-1120 (TDD) or askhr@vcu.edu.

Enhanced Leave Benefits

VCU faculty and University and Academic Professionals are now eligible for enhanced leave accrual rates based on verified military service. The calculation of these leave accrual rates will include a veteran's verified service in the military, National Guard, Reserves (active or inactive duty) and full-time state or Federal National Guard duty. Eligible employees must supply DD-214 documentation for each period of military service to receive this benefit. For more information, please connect with the HR professional in your school or unit. https://hr.vcu.edu/about/contact/

VCU is a V3 employer

VCU is a certified V3 (Virginia Values Veterans) employer. The V3 program is a free training and certification program for employers to help them implement nationally recognized best practices in recruiting, hiring, and retaining highly-skilled and dependable veterans.

The V3 Program is an official Commonwealth of Virginia Program, authorized under the Code of Virginia (§ 2.2-2001.2). It is organized under the directorate of Veterans Education, Training, and Employment (VETE), within the Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS), an agency of the Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs. Find out more about V3 here.