University of Montevallo Launches Virtual Reality Campus Tour

August 24, 2022

Though in-person tours are the preferred method of experiencing the beauty that is the University of Montevallo’s campus and discovering why “You Belong at Montevallo,” it’s no longer the only way to get a real feel for what it’s like to attend the University.

Over the past year, UM added two new campus tour options: virtual and, for the first time, virtual reality.

“The University of Montevallo has been named among the South’s most beautiful colleges by Southern Living magazine,” said Audrey Crawford, director of admissions at UM. “If you can’t make it to campus right now to see it for yourself, the next best thing is to experience it in virtual reality.”

“Grab your VR headset and experience the University of Montevallo’s picturesque campus for yourself. Don’t worry if you don’t have a VR headset. Our tour can be experienced without it.”

Crawford said during the pandemic when UM converted to remote learning, they quickly realized that they didn’t have a lot of virtual options for prospective students and parents to engage with. They quickly pivoted and worked to create a virtual tour that they could add to the University’s homepage.

What is a VR Tour?

“A VR tour of the University of Montevallo allows students and parents to immerse themselves into the world they see on a headset and actually feel like they’re in a building or standing on the quad,” Crawford said. “There are a number of locations on the tour where students can literally feel like they’re on the brick sidewalks of our campus.”

In the VR tour, participants can use the VR controllers to click where they want to go and virtually walk from building to building on campus. They can see residence halls, athletic facilities, the cafeteria, Farmer Hall and more. Every building on campus is visible in the VR tour, and a number of building interiors are accessible.

“If a student can’t be on campus, it’s a great first experience until they can come and make an in-person campus tour.”

To see why “You Belong at Montevallo,” take a tour or visit campus today by visiting montevallo.edu/tours.