The University of Virginia (often abbreviated as UVA or Virginia) is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. Established in 1819 by third U.S. president Thomas Jefferson, it is the only university in the United States to be designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, an honor it shares with nearby Monticello. UVA is one of the eight original Public Ivies.

The 2012 edition of U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Virginia as the 2nd best public university in the United States along with University of California, Los Angeles, and the overall 25th best public university in the nation.

UVA's initial Board of Visitors included former Presidents of the United States Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. The site of the University was once farmland owned by Monroe, whose law office and farmhouse is now the site of Brown College at Monroe Hill, a residential college at the University.