Public · University

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, Virginia · Small city

#4 for grad earnings in Virginia#5 graduation rate in Virginia
54.8%
Admit rate
$24,953
Avg net price
86%
Graduation rate
$81,698
Median earnings

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Blacksburg, Virginia (small city setting), enrolling 30,923 undergraduates.

PublicLarge · 30,923 undergradsSmall citySelective · 55% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Atlantic Coast ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University's admitted students.

Admit rate
54.8%
SAT (mid 50%)
1280–1450
Avg GPA (est.)
3.79

Enter a test score to see where you land against Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Blacksburg, Virginia

Blacksburg is an incorporated town in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States. In the mid-1600s, English colonists were still uncertain of what lay beyond the Allegheny Mountains, whose topography and possession by native inhabitants, Tutelo-speaking tribes, were a barrier to expanded settlement by the Colony of Virginia. The Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center is home to several companies of varying sizes including Honeywell, and the National Weather Service which maintains its Southwestern Virginia headquarters there. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
27 miles to Roanoke, VA
To the ocean
173 miles
Nearest airport
26 miles to Roanoke–Blacksburg (ROA)

How Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University compares

Selectivity54.8%

More selective than 81% · #10 most selective of 43 in Virginia

SAT average1364

Higher than 87%

Graduation rate86%

Higher than 94% · #5 of 49 in Virginia

First-year retention93%

Higher than 91%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$81,698

Higher than 92% · #4 of 51 in Virginia

Average net price$24,953

Cheaper than 29% · #34 cheapest of 47 in Virginia

Median debt at graduation$21,500

Lower than 63%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment30,923

Larger than 98%

Percentiles compare Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Virginia.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

38,745students
  • Undergraduate30,92380%
  • Graduate7,82220%

Undergraduates by gender

30,923undergrads
  • Women14,37646%
  • Men16,54754%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White57%
  • Black5.9%
  • Hispanic9.8%
  • Asian14%
  • Other or multiracial13%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
30,923
Graduate enrollment
7,822
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
15%
First-generation students
18%
Students over 25
2%
Median family income
$89,378
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$127,458
Endowment
$1,939,700,000

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 7,196 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Virginia61%
  • Other U.S. states34%
  • International4.7%

A regional draw: about 61% of first-years come from Virginia, the rest from elsewhere.

5% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
54.8%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1280–1450
SAT average
1364
SAT reading
640–710
SAT math
640–740
ACT composite
28–32
Average GPA (estimated)
3.79

Cost

In-state tuition
$15,948
Out-of-state tuition
$37,764
Room & board
$16,550
Books & supplies
$2,678
Total cost of attendance
$36,951
Average net price
$24,953

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
86%
Graduated on time (4 years)
69%
First-year retention
93%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$67,377
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$81,698
Median debt at graduation
$21,500
Students with federal loans
34%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
77%

About 17% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
69%
Low-income (Pell)
72%
First-generation
73%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
10,213
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
33%
Housing charge (year)
$6,520
Meal plan (year)
$5,998
Application fee
$60
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
Varsity athletes
702 (423 men · 279 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (12)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)206
Football124
Swimming and Diving (combined)83
Soccer64
Baseball45
Wrestling38
Lacrosse33
Tennis28
Basketball26
Softball22
Volleyball19
Golf14

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
74
Property offenses (2022–2024)
57

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 12 campuses (38,857 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

44reported offenses a year
25 violent a year19 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
14
Burglary
10
Fondling
7.0
Motor vehicle theft
7.0
Aggravated assault
2.7
Arson
1.7
Statutory rape
0.3
Robbery
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$11,689
$30–48k
$11,670
$48–75k
$17,894
$75–110k
$25,835
$110k+
$34,201

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$76,902

$17,894/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

55%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$5,568
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 55% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,568. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 7,158 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$81,698
Typical debt at graduation
$21,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
26%
Out-earn a HS grad
79%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$72,780
Men
$88,143

Men out-earn women by $15,363 (21%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
82°F
Winter low
22°F
Annual rain
42.6″
Annual snow
24.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Blacksburg Nwso, VA US station (1.8 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University side by side →

Colleges near Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.