University of Maryland, College Park vs. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Maryland is the tougher admit. It takes about 45% of applicants against roughly 54.6% at Virginia Tech, and its admitted class scores higher: a middle-50% SAT of 1410–1520 and ACT of 32–35, where Virginia Tech sits at 1280–1450 and 28–32. Both lean in-state, with only about 35% of Maryland undergraduates and 36% of Virginia Tech's coming from out of state.

For computer science, Maryland concentrates harder. Computing ranks as its single most popular field at about 25% of bachelor's degrees, with engineering adding another 11%, a profile that tracks its spot near the D.C. tech corridor. Virginia Tech's degrees lead with business at about 24% and engineering at 20%, and computing sits inside a broader applied-sciences mix rather than at the top. A computing-first undergraduate will find the deeper concentration at Maryland.

Engineering carries more weight at Virginia Tech, where it accounts for about 20% of bachelor's degrees, second only to business, and rests on a deep agriculture and applied-sciences base. Maryland puts engineering at about 11% of degrees, trailing computing, business, and the social sciences. Virginia Tech surrounds engineering with a hands-on land-grant tradition, while Maryland pairs it with a top computing program near the capital.

Residency flips the math. Maryland charges about $12,290 in in-state tuition and fees, below Virginia Tech's roughly $16,450 for Virginia residents, but Virginia Tech undercuts on the out-of-state sticker at about $38,310 against $42,053 at Maryland. Aid lands close, with about 28% of Maryland first-years drawing need-based grants versus 29% at Virginia Tech and average packages near $19,426 and $17,939. Maryland meets more demonstrated need, about 74% on average against 60% at Virginia Tech, so a high-need student can see Maryland's net cost run closer than its out-of-state price suggests.

The two peak in different fields. Maryland confers the most degrees in computer and information sciences at about 25%, then business and the social sciences. Virginia Tech leads with business at about 24%, then engineering near 20%, the sciences, the social sciences, and a sizable agriculture block that traces to its land-grant roots. Maryland's catalog leans toward computing and the sciences, while Virginia Tech spreads across business, engineering, and applied fields.

Size barely separates them: about 31,875 undergraduates at Maryland to Virginia Tech's 31,536, both taught at a 17:1 student-faculty ratio. Setting does the dividing. Maryland sits in College Park just outside Washington, D.C., with the capital in easy reach, while Virginia Tech occupies Blacksburg in the Blue Ridge Mountains, a self-contained college town where nearly all students live on campus. Both hold onto students well, Maryland at 97% first-year retention and an 88% six-year graduation rate against Virginia Tech's 95% and 86%.