Blacksburg, VA
Virginia Tech was founded in 1872 as the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College, a land-grant institution established under the Morrill Act, and adopted its present legal name, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, in 1970. The university is organized into nine colleges plus a graduate school and operates under the motto Ut Prosim ("That I May Serve"). Its land-grant mission continues through the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station, established in 1886, and Virginia Cooperative Extension, established in 1914.
Admissions
Application deadlines for Fall 2027 entry
- Early Action: Nov 15, 2026
- Regular Decision: Jan 15, 2027
Confirm on Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University's own admissions site before you apply.
Cost & outcomes
Out-of-state students pay $23,093 more per year in tuition and fees (2.4x the in-state rate).
Tuition & fees are Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University's own published 2026-27 rates (source); other figures are from the US Dept of Education College Scorecard, most recent year reported. Tuition & fees are the sticker price for a full-time first-year undergrad, before financial aid, and don't include room and board.
Where do you stand against Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University's numbers?
Check your chances hereHow Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University weighs your application
From Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University's own Common Data Set, 2024-25, Section C7 -- not a generic admissions checklist. What is a Common Data Set?
What admitted applicants who posted their results listed
29 admitted applicants who posted their profiles publicly, 2024–25 and 2025–26 admissions cycles. Too few rejected or waitlisted applicants have posted to compare, so every figure here describes admits only. It shows what admitted posters looked like, not what made the difference.
Most common activities among admits
Most common awards among admits
Who the admitted posters were
How this compares across big public universities: Big Public University Accepted vs. Rejected Applicants →
These are people who chose to post their results publicly, mostly on Reddit -- a group that skews toward high scores and STEM. They describe posters, not Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University's admitted class, and recruited athletes are left out. Expect these medians to run above the school's real admitted class. For official numbers, use the admissions figures above.
See full profile -- financial aid, campus life, and what Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University weighs in your application
Paying it back
"Still growing" means a borrower's payments aren't yet covering interest 3 years into repayment -- not a default rate. A high number here can mean real repayment difficulty, or just a lot of grads who deferred for graduate school, so read it alongside the school's typical outcomes above.
Majors & earnings
Median earnings 4 years after graduation, by major, from the US Dept of Education. Only shown where the school reports a real figure for that major -- most schools don't report every major they offer, especially smaller programs.
Campus life
Room and board are shown separately from the cost of attendance above -- that total already includes them alongside tuition and fees, this just breaks out the living-cost portion.
What matters in your application
From this school's own reporting to the US Dept of Education on what it formally requires, considers, or doesn't use when reviewing applications.
Frequently asked questions
What does Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University look for in applicants?
Per Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University's own Common Data Set (Section C7), it rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, application essay, first generation, geographical residence, state residency as "very important" in admissions decisions -- its own stated top factors, not a generic guess.
What is Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University's acceptance rate?
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, VA admits approximately 55% of applicants, based on the US Dept of Education's most recently reported figures.
What SAT score do I need for Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University?
Admitted students at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University typically score between 1280–1450 on the SAT (25th–75th percentile).
What ACT score do I need for Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University?
Admitted students at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University typically score between 28–32 on the ACT (25th–75th percentile).
How much does Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University cost?
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University's total cost of attendance is reported at $36,951 per year, including tuition, fees, and room and board.
What is out-of-state tuition at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University?
For 2026-27, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University's tuition and required fees are $40,180 for out-of-state students and $17,087 for in-state students -- $23,093 more per year for out-of-state students. That's before financial aid, and room and board are extra.
When is the application deadline for Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University?
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University's deadlines are Early Action Nov 15, 2026; Regular Decision Jan 15, 2027, per its own published admissions calendar.
Does Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University require students to live on campus?
No -- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University doesn't require students to live in on-campus housing.
Related reading
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