Study abroad at Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach, Virginia (internationally venerated as 'The Resort City', holding the Guinness World Record for the longest pleasure beach in the world, and consistently ranked among the safest and cleanest metropolitan cities in the United States) is Virginia's most populous city, situated at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean in south-eastern Virginia, home to Norfolk International Airport (ORF - 20 minutes from the oceanfront). Globally celebrated for its iconic 3-mile concrete Oceanfront Boardwalk (featuring the monumental 34-foot bronze King Neptune statue), First Landing State Park (where English colonists first arrived in 1607), the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, and its booming modern economy in defense technology, maritime logistics (Port of Virginia - America's #1 modern container terminal), cybersecurity, healthcare, and biomedical engineering. Virginia Beach is home to premier higher education institutions: Regent University (founded in 1977, top-ranked private national doctoral university enrolling over 11,000 students on a gorgeous 70-acre Neo-Georgian brick campus crowned by Robertson Hall and the University Library). Regent is globally acclaimed for the School of Law (ABA-accredited with top national bar passage rates), School of Business & Leadership (ACBSP-accredited), College of Arts & Sciences (Computer Science, Cybersecurity, and Psychology), and School of Communication and the Arts, alongside Virginia Wesleyan University (VWU - liberal arts leader in Environmental Studies and Business), and Tidewater Community College (TCC). Degrees are taught 100% in English with prestigious US accreditations. International students benefit from direct Fortune 500 corporate internships, generous Regent International Merit Scholarships ($5,000 to $15,000/year), Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) bus/light-rail transit, and direct US F-1 / I-20 Student Visa support with 3-year STEM OPT work extensions.

Tuition fees in Virginia Beach for international undergraduate students at Regent University range between $18,500 and $21,500 per academic year for Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Business, and Psychology (significantly more affordable than average private US universities). Regent University awards generous automatic International Academic Merit Scholarships discounting $5,000 to $15,000/year from tuition for qualified applicants based on high school GPA (bringing net annual tuition down to approx. $8,500–$14,500/year). At Virginia Wesleyan University (VWU), tuition is approx. $37,500/year (with international merit scholarships up to $22,000/year). Modern on-campus university student residences (Regent Village, Regent Commons - fully furnished apartment suites with high-speed Wi-Fi, fitness centers, utilities, and dining meal plans) cost between $650 and $1,050 per month (inclusive of meal plans and utilities), while off-campus student apartments in Virginia Beach, Town Center, and Kempsville range from $500 to $850 per month for shared apartments. General monthly living expenses range between $750 and $1,200.

International students require a US F-1 Student Visa. Upon academic admission and verification of financial documentation (bank statement certifying first-year tuition and living expenses minus scholarship awards approx. $18,000), the International Student Services Office issues the official Form I-20. The student pays the SEVIS I-901 fee, completes the DS-160 online visa application, and attends the F-1 visa interview at the US Embassy or Consulate. STEM graduates qualify for a 24-month OPT extension (total 36 months of US employment authorization across Virginia tech/defense corridors and nationwide).