Virginia Commonwealth University has given students the all clear to return to business as normal after issuing an alert about a possible gunman near campus Friday morning.

Just before 11am, the school issued an alert about a 'possible armed subject' near the school's Richmond campus.

The suspect was described as a male, wearing a square military-style hat and backpack, spotted going east on Grace Street from Belvidere Street.

The alert warned students to avoid the area and said campus police were on the scene. However, police were not able to confirm the report, and just 15 minutes later the university said it was safe for classes to resume.

'Police have searched the area and have been unable to confirm the information,' the updated report reads. 'Police are continuing to monitor the area. Resume normal activity and report any unusual activity to police.'

The suspect was described as a male, wearing a square military-style hat and backpack, spotted going east on Grace Street from Belvidere Street. But police were not able to confirm the report

Students at Virginia Commonwealth University were told to seek shelter Friday morning after reports of an armed gunman. But the alert was cancelled just 15 minutes later when no gunman was found

The scare comes just one day after a gunman opened fire at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, killing nine and injuring nine more in the worst mass shooting in the state's recent history.

The killer was identified as Chris Harper Mercer, according to a government official who was not authorized to speak publicly and provided the name on condition of anonymity.