R1 ResearchPublicLand-grantMedical

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, Virginia·Public, 4-year or above·Southeast·vt.edu
6-yr Graduation
86%
+20.5pp vs R1 Research
Total enrollment
38,857
peer median 31,704
Avg net price
$23,790
+$4.9k vs R1 Research
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
52,498
52,498 candidates competed
Admitted
28,758
54.8% acceptance rate
Enrolled
7,289
25.3% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
86%+20.5pp vs R1 Research
4-year graduation
69%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
86%
Full-time retention
93%

Pell equity

6.0pp gap
Pell recipients
79%
Non-Pell
85%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 6.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 237 Title IV programs, 83 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 154 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
237
Passing
83
35.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

237programs
  • Passing83 · 35.0%
  • No Data154 · 65.0%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
4
Safe
79
No data
154

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

83
Agriculture General
Master's Degree · Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, And Related Sciences
+15.7%
$62,078 vs $53,672
Public Health
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+20.1%
$73,036 vs $60,817
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Master's Degree · Education
+22.7%
$56,901 vs $46,391
Educational Administration and Supervision
Master's Degree · Education
+24.1%
$57,587 vs $46,391
Curriculum and Instruction
Master's Degree · Education
+26.1%
$58,513 vs $46,391
Agricultural Production Operations
Associate Degree · Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, And Related Sciences
+29.7%
$46,669 vs $35,969
Animal Sciences
Bachelor Degree · Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, And Related Sciences
+31.3%
$47,224 vs $35,969
Architecture
Master's Degree · Architecture And Related Services
+31.7%
$84,023 vs $63,816

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

66
Medicine
First Professional Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
242%
$228,722 debt · $94,416 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Graduate Certificate · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
131%
$92,111 debt · $70,335 earn
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
57%
$27,500 debt · $48,028 earn
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences
Bachelor Degree · Physical Sciences
50%
$30,062 debt · $59,969 earn
Educational Administration and Supervision
Master's Degree · Education
49%
$28,463 debt · $57,587 earn
Architecture
Master's Degree · Architecture And Related Services
49%
$41,000 debt · $84,023 earn
Public Administration
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
46%
$41,000 debt · $88,961 earn
Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management
Bachelor Degree · Natural Resources And Conservation
45%
$21,500 debt · $47,496 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1923Next review Jun 2027

Programmatic accreditations · 15

Action history · 20

  1. Apr 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Clinical Psychology (CLPSY) - PhD Doctoral programs
  2. Oct 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Professional Psychology (IPSY) - Predoctoral internship programs
  3. Mar 2024Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Jan 2024Approved for Distance Education
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIETI) - Dietetic Internship
  5. Jan 2024Approved for Distance Education
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$13,536
$30–48k$14,891
$48–75k$19,660
$75–110k$26,533
$110k+$30,568

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$23,790
+$4,921vs R1 Research median $18,870
Federal loans
34.3%
In-state tuition
$15,478
Out-of-state
$36,694

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 5,554 students received $33.0M in Pell grants, alongside $167.6M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
5,554
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$33.0M
$33,042,640 total
Direct Loans
$167.6M
18,514 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

5k
20
5k
21
5k
22
5k
23
6k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$27.6M
6,257 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$34.7M
8,398 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$32.6M
1,252 loan awards
Parent PLUS$63.5M
2,250 loan awards
Grad PLUS$9.3M
357 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 4,501 borrowers who entered repayment, 25 (0.5%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.5%
-1.8pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
4,501
Defaulted
25
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
1.6%
2017
1.6%
2018
1.2%
2019
0.5%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at VT

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs169
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

8,588 total completions
01Engineering
2,33227.2%
02Business
1,93822.6%
03Computer Sciences
95411.1%
04Biological Sciences
7578.8%
05Social Sciences
6827.9%
06Agriculture
5646.6%
07Family/Consumer Sci
4715.5%
08Natural Resources
3594.2%
09Psychology
2703.1%
10Communication
2613.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
38,857
12-mo unduplicated
40,548
Undergraduate
31,731
Graduate
8,817

Gender split

Men
57%23,115
Women
43%17,433

Race / ethnicity composition

White
58.2%
Asian
12.8%
Hispanic
10.3%
Black
6.2%
Two or more
5.5%
Non-resident
4.4%
Unknown
2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
610
368 M · 242 W
Women athletes
39.7%
Athletic aid
$18.0M
Total student aid
Budget
$126.3M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$10.9M
$7.1M
Recruiting expense
$2.2M
$517K
Head-coach salaries
$1.0M
$349K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 12

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
135 M · 113 W
$5.5M
Football
126 M ·
$38.9M
Swimming and Diving (combined)
34 M · 39 W
$3.9M
Soccer
33 M · 37 W
$4.2M
Lacrosse
· 49 W
$2.1M
Baseball
43 M ·
$4.5M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
1.62
62 offenses · 38,170 students

3-year trend

1.732 yrs ago1.131 yr ago1.62Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
168
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
39
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
1
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
18

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
19
Burglary
14
Motor vehicle theft
12
Fondling
10
Aggravated assault
4
Arson
3

By location

62total
  • On campus56
  • Non-campus6

Includes 27 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

3
Domestic violence
2
Dating violence
4
Stalking
9 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs34
Liquor79862

Residence-hall fires

  • Hoge Hall3 fires
    Burned Check -out /Burned marks on doorDamage $0-$99
  • Hoge Hall3 fires
    Burned Poster board/burn marks on wallDamage $0-$99
  • Hoge Hall3 fires
    Burning/singe marks on name tagsDamage $0-$99
  • Peddrew-Yates1 fire
    OtherDamage $0-$99
  • Harper1 fire
    Open flamesDamage $0-$99
  • Special Purpose Housing B1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99
  • Pearson Hall West1 fire
    OtherDamage $0-$99

Data quality: 3 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
17.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
2,247

VT vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions VT selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
86%38,857$23,790R1 Research
George Mason University
68%87.5%39,766$18,287R1 Research
Virginia Commonwealth University
63%92.6%28,464$19,452R1 Research
University of Virginia-Main Campus
96%16.8%26,409$22,881R1 Research
Old Dominion University
46%90.4%23,743$14,170R1 Research
Georgia State University
53%55.4%34,944$15,931R1 Research
Peer group median66%87.5%31,704$18,870

Frequently asked questions about Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about VT.

What is the graduation rate at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University?

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 86% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University?

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University reports a total enrollment of 38,857 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University?

The average net price at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is $23,790 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University?

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University's yield rate is 25.3%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University located?

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is located in Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0131.

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