Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Virginia Tech Featured Rankings
- #1 Best Online MBAs Virginia
- #2 Virginia's Best Online Master's Degrees
- #2 Best Online Counseling PhD Degree Programs
- #2 Most Affordable Colleges in Virginia 2026
- #3 Best Colleges in Virginia 2026
- #3 Best Grad Schools in Virginia 2026
- #3 Best Public Colleges in Virginia
- #3 Best Research Universities in Virginia
- #3 Most Influential US Universities by State
- #4 Accelerated Online Master's of Information Technology
- #5 Online Master's in Agribusiness
- #35 Best Online Master's Programs
- #45 Best Public Grad Schools
About Virginia Tech
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (better known as Virginia Tech) was founded in 1872. With a student enrollment of more than 36,000, Virginia Tech is the second-largest public university in the state, after George Mason University.
Virginia Tech consists of seven undergraduate colleges offering 120 degree programs, as well as a Graduate School offering 160 master’s and doctoral degree programs. In addition, professional degrees are available from the College of Engineering, the Carilion School of Medicine and Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, and the Virginia–Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Virginia Tech’s online program (VT Online) offers 19 certificate programs and eight master’s degree programs for distance learners.
The school is a leading research institution in both the arts and the sciences. As the Commonwealth of Virginia’s most comprehensive university, Virginia Tech manages a research portfolio of more than $531 million.
Virginia Tech is associated with three Nobel laureates, namely:
- Physics—Robert C. Richardson
- Economics— James M. Buchanan and Elinor Ostrom
Other distinguished Virginia Tech associated individuals include the following:
- Children’s author, Kwame Alexander
- Philosophers—Marjorie Grene, I.J. Good, and Deborah Mayo
- Television personality, Brian Sullivan
- White House advisor and podcaster, Stephen K. Bannon
- Craigslist CEO, Jim Buckmaster
- Current US Representative, Rob Wittman
Virginia Tech is regionally certified by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
According to Wikipedia, Virginia Tech , formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University , is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six regions statewide, a research center in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and a study-abroad site in Riva San Vitale, Switzerland. Through its Corps of Cadets ROTC program, Virginia Tech is a senior military college.
Virginia Tech's Online Degrees
MS in Agriculture And Life Sciences
Degree Concentrations
- Applied Nutrition And Physical Activity
- Applied Animal Behavior And Welfare
- Applied Nutrition And Physical Activity
- Education
- Environmental Science
- Food Safety And Biosecurity
- Leadership Studies
- Plant Science And Pest Management
- Applied Animal Behavior And Welfare
- Education
- Environmental Science
- Food Safety And Biosecurity
- Leadership Studies
- Plant Science
- Pest Management
- Format: Fully online
Virginia Tech Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47,208 | 55% | 93% | 86% | 1365 | 30 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Virginia Tech Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $16,450 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $11,378 |
| 30K - 48K | $9,464 |
| 48K - 75K | $15,085 |
| 75K - 110K | $22,747 |
| 110K+ | $35,800 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Virginia Tech Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Virginia Tech students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $88,716 a year, and 95% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Virginia Tech's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 40,548 | 31,731 | 8,817 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Virginia Tech?
Virginia Tech is located at 210 Burruss Hall, 800 Drillfield Dr., Blacksburg, VA 24061-0131.
How Safe is Virginia Tech?
Relative to its enrollment, Virginia Tech has a violent crime rate of 0.03% and a property crime rate of 0.05%. Blacksburg has a violent crime rate of 0.08% and a property crime rate of 0.72%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Virginia Tech Known For?
Virginia Tech is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Engineering
- Criminal Justice
- Computer Science
- Economics
- Earth Sciences
- Political Science
- Biology
- Medical
- Mathematics
- Business
- Physics
- Chemistry
- History
- Education
- Sociology
- Communications
- Literature
- Philosophy
- Psychology
- Religious Studies
Virginia Tech's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Virginia Tech's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Virginia Tech ranks #40 in the U.S. and #129 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesVirginia Tech ranks #45 in the U.S. and #55 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.
criminal-justice DegreesVirginia Tech ranks #76 in the U.S. and #233 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesVirginia Tech ranks #82 in the U.S. and #310 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesVirginia Tech ranks #82 in the U.S. and #313 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesVirginia Tech ranks #83 in the U.S. and #282 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesVirginia Tech ranks #85 in the U.S. and #255 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesVirginia Tech ranks #88 in the U.S. and #248 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesVirginia Tech ranks #89 in the U.S. and #329 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesVirginia Tech ranks #94 in the U.S. and #242 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesVirginia Tech ranks #100 in the U.S. and #410 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesVirginia Tech ranks #106 in the U.S. and #473 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesVirginia Tech ranks #109 in the U.S. and #284 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesVirginia Tech ranks #114 in the U.S. and #388 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesVirginia Tech ranks #117 in the U.S. and #371 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesVirginia Tech ranks #138 in the U.S. and #462 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesVirginia Tech ranks #150 in the U.S. and #417 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesVirginia Tech ranks #161 in the U.S. and #537 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesVirginia Tech ranks #170 in the U.S. and #404 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesVirginia Tech ranks #422 in the U.S. and #1826 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesWho Are Virginia Tech's Most Influential Alumni?
Virginia Tech's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Criminal Justice, Engineering, and Computer Science. Here are some of Virginia Tech's most famous alumni:
- Edward F. Moore
- A Professor of mathematics and computer sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Madison .
- Gladys West
- An American mathematician known for her contributions to Global Positioning Systems.
- Robert Coleman Richardson
- An American physicist.
- Lewis Binford
- An American archaeologist .
- Charles Camarda
- An Astronaut.
- Kirk Schulz
- An American academic.
- Jason Bond
- An American biologist.
- Bill Dally
- An American computer scientist.
- Carol M. Swain
- A Political scientist.
- Benjamin K. Sovacool
- An American sustainability advocate.
- Arpad Vass
- An American forensic anthropologist.
- Randall G. Holcombe
- An Economist.
Who Are Virginia Tech's Most Influential Faculty?
Virginia Tech's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Criminal Justice, Engineering, and Computer Science. Here are some of Virginia Tech's most famous faculty:
- Matthew D. Green
- An American cryptographer and researcher.
- Ewan Birney
- An English biologist and bioinformatician.
- Benjamin K. Sovacool
- An American sustainability advocate.
- Sterling Nesbitt
- An American paleontologist.
- Steven Salaita
- An American scholar, author and public speaker.
- Jamie Bishop
- An American academic.
- Maurizio Porfiri
- An Italian electrical engineer, researcher.
- William Floyd
- An American mathematician.
- Kevin Desouza
- An Indian-American academic.
- Laura Sjoberg
- An American scholar.
- Linda J. S. Allen
- A Biomathematician from the United States.
- Mark Embree
- An American mathematician.
