A public R1 land-grant university in Blacksburg, VA, admitting 54.78% of applicants with $81,698 median ten-year earnings and one of the strongest engineering programs in the country.
Blacksburg, Virginia
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) is a public R1 land-grant research university in Blacksburg, Virginia, founded in 1872. It enrolls 30,923 undergraduates and 7,822 graduate students across eight colleges, including the College of Engineering, the Pamplin College of Business, the College of Science, the College of Natural Resources and Environment, and the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Engineering, business, computer science, biological sciences, and architecture account for the largest shares of bachelor's degrees.
Virginia Tech is accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Virginia Tech is test-optional; submitting SAT or ACT scores is not required. Virginia Tech's College of Engineering is consistently ranked among the top twenty public engineering schools in the country, and the university has strong research connections to Virginia's defense, technology, and government sectors.
Official website: vt.edu
UCD scores every college on four pillars: Outcomes, Value, Affordability, and Selectivity. Within peer group A (four-year selective institutions), Virginia Tech scores 78.16 overall, rated Good. Outcomes (92.40) reflects an 86.22% six-year graduation rate and 92.44% first-year retention. Value scores 67.78, driven by excellent ten-year earnings of $81,698 relative to an average net price of $24,953. Selectivity scores 82.53, reflecting a 54.78% admit rate. All scores use verified federal data only.
Virginia Tech admits 54.78% of applicants. Virginia Tech is test-optional; submitting SAT or ACT scores is not required. Virginia Tech uses the Common App. The early decision deadline is November 1 (binding); the early action deadline is November 1 (non-binding for certain programs); the regular decision deadline is January 15.
Applicants apply to specific colleges within Virginia Tech; the College of Engineering and the architecture programs are more competitive than the overall admit rate. Virginia Tech draws a large share of Virginia residents and attracts strong applicants nationally who are specifically targeting its engineering and computer science programs.
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Virginia Tech charges $15,948 in in-state tuition and $37,764 in out-of-state tuition, plus room and board, bringing the estimated in-state total cost of attendance to approximately $32,000 before aid. The average net price after all grants and scholarships is $24,953. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $11,689. For families earning between $30,001 and $48,000, the net price averages $11,670.
For families earning between $75,001 and $110,000, the net price averages $25,835. For families earning above $110,000, it averages $34,201. The federal loan rate of 33.62% and median debt of $21,500 are in the moderate range for a public flagship. The endowment stands at approximately $1.94 billion, which supports institutional scholarships and research funding.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Application fee: $60 (one-time, due at submission)
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
Virginia Tech graduates a strong majority of students it enrolls. The six-year graduation rate is 86.22% for full-time, first-time bachelor's-seeking students. First-year retention stands at 92.44%. The federal loan rate of 33.62% and median debt of $21,500 are moderate; Virginia Tech's strong earnings outcomes mean graduates are well-positioned to manage debt.
Virginia Tech graduates earn significantly above the national median, particularly from engineering and computer science programs. Median earnings are $67,377 six years after first enrolling and $81,698 at ten years. At the ten-year mark, 90.32% of former students earn more than a typical high school graduate, among the highest rates in this peer group. The strong ten-year earnings reflect Virginia Tech's engineering and CS concentration, with graduates placing in Northern Virginia's defense and technology corridor, the DC metro's federal contractor sector, and technology companies nationally.
Northern Virginia is home to Amazon Web Services (HQ2), the National Security Agency, the Pentagon, and hundreds of defense contractors; Virginia Tech's National Capital Region campus in Alexandria (formerly Amazon HQ2 adjacent) directly connects engineering and CS graduates to this market. The Pamplin College of Business graduates also place well in Virginia's financial, consulting, and government sectors.
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Virginia Tech enrolls 30,923 undergraduates on its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, a college town of approximately 45,000 people in the New River Valley, approximately 240 miles southwest of Washington, DC. White students account for 57.19% of undergraduates; Asian 13.66%, Hispanic 9.83%, and Black 5.87%. Approximately 15.29% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, and 17.76% are first-generation college students.
Blacksburg is a classic college town; Virginia Tech's presence defines the city, and the campus is the dominant employer and cultural institution. The Blue Ridge Mountains and Appalachian Trail are accessible for outdoor recreation. Virginia Tech athletics compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC); Hokie football at Lane Stadium, with its distinctive 'Enter Sandman' entrance, is one of the most electric atmospheres in college sports.
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
Where students live, learn, and connect at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University offers an extensive catalog of programs: 226 distinct programs across 26 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
Virginia Tech operates at a student-to-faculty ratio consistent with large public research universities. 98.65% of instruction is delivered by full-time faculty, one of the highest rates in this peer group, indicating very limited reliance on adjunct instructors. Instructional spending per full-time equivalent student is $15,632 per year. The endowment stands at approximately $1.94 billion.
The Hume Center for National Security and Technology conducts defense and cybersecurity research with direct connections to federal agencies. Virginia Tech operates a Northern Virginia Innovation Campus (now known as VT Innovation Campus) in Alexandria, focused on graduate education and research in computer science and technology.
2,219 instructional faculty across 6 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
| Rank | Faculty Count | Share | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Professors | 639 | 29% | $166,509 |
| Associate Professors | 614 | 28% | $119,189 |
| Assistant Professors | 620 | 28% | $104,266 |
| Instructors | 310 | 14% | $61,816 |
| Lecturers | 1 | 0% | $80,916 |
| No Rank | 35 | 2% | — |
Virginia Tech's defining strengths are its UCD 78.16 Good score, outstanding ten-year earnings of $81,698 (driven by engineering and CS programs), near-universal full-time faculty instruction (98.65%), and strong placement in Northern Virginia's defense and technology corridor and nationally with tech companies. UCD 78.16 Good.
The considerations: Blacksburg is a small college town, approximately 4 hours from Washington DC and 4 hours from Richmond or Charlotte; the average net price of $24,953 is higher than some comparable public flagships (UGA, UMD); out-of-state tuition ($37,764) is competitive with public flagships in larger markets; and the federal loan rate of 33.62% is moderate. Best fit for students targeting engineering, computer science, or architecture at a flagship research university with strong earnings outcomes and a technical program focus, particularly Virginia residents who can take advantage of in-state tuition.
The questions below address what students and families most commonly search about Virginia Tech: how the engineering programs rank, what Blacksburg is like, how the Northern Virginia campus works, and what graduates earn.
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