Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University
Public Research University in Blacksburg, VA. Six-year graduation rate 86%. Median 10-year earnings $81,698.
Students who entered Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University reach a median of $81,698 ten years later, which puts this school in the upper band of undergraduate earnings outcomes. The six-year graduation rate of 86% is well above average and the clearest sign this school holds onto its students. Median debt at graduation is $21,500, roughly typical for an undergraduate degree.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.26 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ Graduation rate 86% — well above the national average
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University admits 55% of applicants and is genuinely selective — roughly one in two applicants are turned away. With 52,498 applications received, this is a school operating at national scale. 25% of those admitted enroll, which is unremarkable in either direction. 41% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score. The bands below describe the middle half of that group, not of the class.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | 640–710 | 3,010 (41%) |
| SAT Math | 640–740 | |
| ACT Composite | 28–32 | 668 (9%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University →Academics
86% of students finish within six years, putting completion well above the national norm. 93% of full-time first-years return for a second year — a healthy figure. Retention drops to 56% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic. A 17:1 ratio is unremarkable; expect a mix of lecture halls and seminars. As a public four-year university, the relevant comparison is other four-year schools rather than the national average across all institutions.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 30,435 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price lands at $24,912 a year on average, neither cheap nor punishing. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $11,689 at the $0–30k band to $34,201 at $110k+. 52% of students receive grant aid, averaging $10,969 — common but not automatic. Federal borrowing reaches 34% of students.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 7,180 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $11,689 |
| $30–48k | $11,670 |
| $48–75k | $17,894 |
| $75–110k | $25,835 |
| $110k+ | $34,201 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 10,256 of these 30,435 students, totalling $65,471,451 — an average of $6,384 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Montgomery County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)