More selective than 78% of Virginia colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $36,951. College Scorecard.
Higher than 88% of Virginia colleges we cover and 94% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 95% of Virginia colleges we cover and 93% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 47,208 applicants, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University admitted 26,923 and 7,196 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1280–1450 on the SAT or 28–32 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Virginia residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University majors, earnings & careers
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University offers 72 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Science & Math · 21
- Engineering · 18
- Business & Finance · 11
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 8
- Humanities & Languages · 5
- Arts & Design · 4
- Health & Medicine · 2
- Technology & Computing · 2
- Communications & Media · 1
Highest-earning majors at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences | $144,103 | $20,500 |
| Computer Engineering | $122,026 | $26,000 |
| Applied Mathematics | $117,990 | $20,500 |
| Industrial Engineering | $116,641 | $22,870 |
| Management Science / Analytics | $108,726 | $21,700 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical / Space Engineering | $106,633 | $26,000 |
| Chemical Engineering | $106,011 | $25,350 |
| Electrical Engineering | $104,839 | $25,849 |
Quick list of all 72 majors
- Accounting$99,528
- Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical / Space Engineering$106,633
- Agricultural Business$62,398
- Agricultural Engineering$88,315
- Agriculture$53,568
- Animal Sciences$47,224
- Applied Mathematics$117,990
- Architectural Sciences and Technology—
- Architecture$75,074
- Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology$67,892
- Biochemistry$67,621
- Biology$61,703
- Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology—
- Biomedical Engineering—
- Business Administration$80,023
- Business Economics$95,271
- Chemical Engineering$106,011
- Chemistry$73,395
- Civil Engineering$88,142
- Communications$66,106
- Computer and Information Sciences$144,103
- Computer Engineering$122,026
- Construction Engineering$102,699
- Construction Management$95,165
- Data Science—
- Economics$92,653
- Electrical Engineering$104,839
- Engineering Mechanics$101,509
- Engineering-Related Fields$81,618
- English$64,225
- Environmental / Natural Resources Management and Policy—
- Environmental Science / Conservation$59,868
- Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences Business Services$65,248
- Finance$102,902
- Food Science and Technology$80,161
- Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services$74,005
- Forestry$64,204
- Geography$65,259
- Geology / Earth Science$59,969
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$72,213
- History$59,819
- Hospitality Management$72,817
- Human Development and Family Studies$58,340
- Industrial Engineering$116,641
- International Relations$71,988
- Landscape Architecture—
- Linguistics$68,263
- Management Science / Analytics$108,726
- Marketing$86,338
- Materials Engineering$90,828
- Mathematics$67,763
- Mechanical Engineering$96,376
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology$67,253
- Mining and Mineral Engineering$94,397
- Music$48,028
- Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering—
- Neuroscience$59,714
- Philosophy—
- Physical Sciences, Other—
- Physics$92,746
- Plant Sciences$56,630
- Political Science$75,687
- Psychology$56,365
- Public Health—
- Public Policy Analysis$66,177
- Real Estate$95,576
- Religious Studies—
- Sociology$63,654
- Statistics$94,300
- Studio Art$58,652
- Theatre—
- Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management$47,496
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Management Science / Analytics → Operations research analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 11.9% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Mechanical Engineering → Mechanical engineer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 11.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Blacksburg
Overall prices in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,340. Housing costs 26% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 44 inches of rain a year, 25 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, Montgomery County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Montgomery County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Virginia by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 55% | $24,953 | 86% | $81,698 | This school |
| James Madison University | 72% | $23,322 | 80% | $69,954 | |
| George Mason University | 87% | $17,915 | 68% | $76,343 | |
| William & Mary | 34% | $19,096 | 89% | $73,490 | |
| Virginia Military Institute | 71% | $17,113 | 76% | $77,369 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University would cost you $1,631 more per year than James Madison University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, mostly from higher housing & meal costs (+$2,304).
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University gives aided families $3,585 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Virginia resident | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | JMU | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $15,948 | $14,250 | +$1,698 |
| Books & supplies | $2,620 | $1,254 | +$1,366 |
| Housing & meals | $14,888 | $12,584 | +$2,304 |
| Personal & travel | $4,266 | $4,560 | −$294 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$771 | −$913 | +$142 |
| Sticker price | $36,951 | $31,735 | +$5,216 |
| Average grants | −$11,998 | −$8,413 | −$3,585 |
| You pay | $24,953 | $23,322 | +$1,631 |
“+” means Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
What is the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University acceptance rate?
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University accepts 55% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 26,923 of 47,208 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1280–1450 on the SAT or 28–32 on the ACT.
How much does Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $36,951 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $24,953 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $11,689 and families earning $110k+ pay $34,201.
How much do Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University graduates earn?
Former Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University students earn a median $81,698 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University graduation rate?
86% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 93% return for their second year.
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/virginia-polytechnic-institute-and-state-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).