Virginia Commonwealth University, the state's largest, will get more autonomy from the state under legislation signed by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine.

On July 1, VCU will join the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and the College of William and Mary as a so-called "Tier 3" school, which allows greater flexibility in hiring, procurement and other administrative functions.

In return, the universities must meet goals prescribed by the State Council of Higher Education.

Sen. John Watkins, R-Powhatan, introduced the measure on behalf of VCU and it sailed through the General Assembly. The other three universities were granted Tier 3 status in 2005 when the concept was introduced. Kaine signed the bill March 12.

John Bennett, executive vice president for finance and administration at VCU, said VCU qualified for the status in 2005 but didn't seek it until this year because it was implementing a new computer system in 2005.

"This recognizes the different levels of complexity of an institution of VCU's size," he said.

Under the plan, the state trades limited authority for the university's ability to meet 12 stated goals, he said.

Daniel J. LaVista, executive director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, said those goals include campus safety, affordable education, student access and student retention.

VCU, particularly, "is one of the most welcoming institutions," he said. "The commitment to educate is part of its mantra. They have also chosen to focus on retention rates and the six-year graduation rate."

The new independence gives VCU the authority to acquire land without state approval, Bennett said. Now it has to go through the Department of General Services and the secretary of administration has to sign off on land purchases, he said. The university also has more flexibility in hiring, in computer contracts and in issuing bonds, Bennett said.

Bennett noted that VCU now has 32,000 students and employs about 17,000 people, including 6,000 in the health-care system.

"We are like a small city," he said.

Contact Tyler Whitley at (804) 649-6780 or twhitley@timesdispatch.com.