Richard Bland College

Why RBC
Why Richard Bland College?

To prepare our students for a lifetime of endless potential.

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Academics
Academics

Richard Bland College offers many challenging courses and programs that will provide you with a solid foundation in the liberal arts as you begin or continue your pursuit of higher education. By attending Richard Bland College and completing the Associate Degree, you will have completed the first two years toward the Baccalaureate Degree.

We have guaranteed transfer agreements with four-year colleges and universities across the Commonwealth that will enhance your educational opportunities.
Admissions & Aid
Admissions & Aid

A high quality, affordable college education should be within the reach of every student. Our goal is 100% student success, and that begins with offering the first two years of your undergraduate education at a reasonable cost that can be paid without going into debt. Richard Bland College, Virginia’s only public, residential two year college, is also one of the Commonwealth’s most affordable
Campus Life
Live like a Statesman

Richard Bland College of William & Mary is the only two-year residential college in Virginia. The residence halls were built in 2008 and offer apartment-style living with state-of-the-art amenities. Students are able to live and eat affordably starting at just $9,840 per year ranging up to $11,640 per year depending on their room assignment.
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History of RBC

BORN OF INNOVATION

Began 1960 By Virginia General Assembly
750-Acres Former Dairy Farm
Located Prince George County
Civil War Union Occupied Territory
Century-Old Pecan Trees

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HISTORY OF RBC

POLITICAL FACTORS AFFECTING THE ESTABLISHMENT AND GROWTH OF RICHARD BLAND COLLEGE OF WILLIAM & MARY IN VIRGINIA 1958-1972 by DR. JAMES B. MCNEER

The need for a two-year college in Southside Virginia was enhanced by the interest of and support generated by The College of William and Mary. Even though William and Mary was not the first four-year institution approached by interested citizens in the Petersburg area, it was the one that agreed to support a local branch college. The establishment of Richard Bland by William and Mary would serve as a base for William and Mary exerting an influence on the direction of higher education in Virginia, reaching from south of Richmond to the North Carolina line and east to the Atlantic Seaboard. This political goal of William and Mary coincided with the desire of certain citizens in the Petersburg area to make available to high school graduates an inexpensive, state-supported, commuter institution near their homes. Only Virginia State College, a four-year, black, state-supported institution existed in Southside Virginia at the time of the creation of Richard Bland College.

Dr. James B. McNeer's Full Dissertation
Dr. James B. McNeer's Full Dissertation
https://www.proquest.com/docview/303200562?pq-origsite=primo&parentSessionId=zeOr7%2FhcJO7ne%2FqQyDZbdVSPUELXrUMuvfjYIC8jiSs%3D

Born of Innovation 1960

Richard Bland College (RBC), Virginia’s selective, two-year, residential, liberal arts transfer institution, was born through innovation. In 1959, years before the Virginia Community College system was imagined, Frank Ernst – a Gateway region native, entrepreneur, and retired executive of Hopewell’s Allied Chemical Plant – proposed the creation of an institution grounded in the liberal arts tradition with opportunities for specialized training in in-demand fields such as engineering to the State Council of Higher Education. After discussions with Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia, Ernst found a willing partner in the College of William & Mary, the second-oldest university in the United States, who founded Richard Bland College in 1960. RBC has since offered multiple certificates and university-parallel two-year degrees.

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SEIZE YOUR POTENTIAL AT Richard Bland College

By attending Richard Bland College and earning an Associate Degree, you will have completed the first two years toward the Baccalaureate Degree.

Richard Bland College has guaranteed transfer agreements gwith four-year colleges and universities across the Commonwealth that will enhance your educational opportunities. The Board of Visitors of William & Mary has authorized Richard Bland College to confer Associate degrees designed for transfer to four-year institutions in Virginia and throughout the United States.

Four-Year Transfer Partners

Richard Bland College of William & Mary prepares students for transfer to highly-ranked colleges and universities. RBC has guaranteed transfer agreements with 35-plus institutions throughout Virginia that enables you to seamlessly transfer to earn your bachelors degree.