Radford was founded inside 1910 as the State Normal & Industrial School for Women at Radford. It was the college for white women. In this era, Virginia segregated public education non single by race, however as well by gender. the college was a normal school and offered a both-biennial degree inside "rural arts".

Within 1924 the school was renamed the State Teachers College at Radford & began an evolution towards the admittedly college. Its primary focus get on expert training videos teachers for the rural Appalachian region nearby. Inside 1943 the college was renamed the ''Women's Section of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute & integrated into what is nowadays called a Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University which was located Fifteen miles away around Blacksburg, Virginia.

When a Sixties began, Virginia began to desegregate its gender specific schools, & VPI began to admit women in its independent campus. This led to the "divorce" within 1964 and a renaming when only Radford College''. On top a next decade, a "finishing school" atmosphere of the school was dismantled. Within 1972 the school began to admit men. the school developed a grad school at that period too.

Within 1979 the school became Radford University. Now a school occurs as comprehensive state university by having astir 9,500 students. All about 45% of the students came from either either either southwestern Virginia, 40% from more area of Virginia, & 15% from away from state.

When there exists the few program overlap sustaining nearby Virginia Tech, Radford wharehouses its emphasis in teacher educatiin & a liberal arts, & has a super online teacher to student ratio when Virginia Tech stores its emphasis on technical indicator & scientific fields.

Inside sports a school's teams come referred to as a Highlanders inside honor of the Scottish heritage of the region, & compete in the Big South Conference.

Locals call for it a "petri dish".

BT's Tap house occurs as preferred local haunt.