Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Tech is a large public land-grant research university in Blacksburg, set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of southwest Virginia and home to roughly 31,500 undergraduates. Long defined by its engineering and applied-science strength — and its motto Ut Prosim ("That I May Serve") — it actually confers more degrees in business than in any other single field. Admission is moderately selective: about 55% of applicants are offered a place, and enrolled first-years carry an average high school GPA near 4.06 with middle-50% SAT scores of 1280–1450. Virginia Tech is currently test-optional, and nearly all first-year students live on campus. The figures below are drawn directly from Virginia Tech's official Common Data Set.
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Virginia Tech admissions statistics
Acceptance rate
Overall acceptance rate, plus the in-state and out-of-state admit rates the school reports separately.
Admit rate by residency
% admitted~1.2× higher admit rate for out-of-state applicants.
Early action
Virginia Tech offers non-binding Early Action — an earlier decision with no commitment to enroll.
Standardized tests
Virginia Tech is currently test-optional — you may apply without submitting scores.
SAT Accepted?
ACT Accepted?
Test Optional?
SAT Scores
ACT Scores
Virginia Tech supplemental essays — 2026-2027 cycle
Virginia Tech's motto is "Ut Prosim" which means 'That I May Serve'. Share how you contribute to a community that is important to you. How long have you been involved? What have you learned and how would you like to share that with others at Virginia Tech?
Have you had an experience when you or someone you know were not being included? Did you reach out to anyone for assistance, direction, or resources? Were you able to affect change and/or influence others? Did this experience change your perspective and if so, how?
Share a time when you were most proud of yourself either as a role model or when you displayed your leadership. What specific skills did you contribute to the experience? How did others rely on you for guidance? What did you learn about yourself during this time?
Describe a goal that you have set and the steps you will take to achieve it. What made you set this goal for yourself? What is your timeline to achieve this goal? Who do you seek encouragement or guidance from and how do they support your progress as you work on this goal?
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Admissions factors
How Virginia Tech weighs each part of your application.
Rigor of High School Record
Academic GPA
Standardized Test Scores
Application Essay
Recommendations
Extracurricular Activities
Character / Personal Qualities
Talent / Ability
First Generation
Level of Applicant's Interest
Class Rank
Volunteer Work
Work Experience
Geographical Residence
State Residency
Alumni Relation
Racial / Ethnic Status
Religious Affiliation
Cost of attendance
Estimated full-time annual cost from Virginia Tech's Common Data Set. Only tuition changes with residency.
Financial aid
Need-based aid statistics for full-time first-year students.
Frequently asked questions about Virginia Tech admissions
Virginia Tech admitted about 54.6% of applicants in the most recent cycle, drawing roughly 57,755 applications, offering admission to about 31,515 students, and enrolling around 7,133 first-years. That makes it moderately selective rather than a reach-for-everyone school.
Enrolled first-year students at Virginia Tech carry an average high school GPA of about 4.06. There is no published hard cutoff, but both your academic GPA and the rigor of your course load are weighed as very important factors, so strong grades in challenging classes matter most.
Yes, a 1400 is competitive: it sits comfortably inside Virginia Tech's middle-50% SAT range of 1280–1450 (28–32 on the ACT). Virginia Tech is also test-optional, so you can apply without submitting scores at all, and submitted scores are only considered alongside the rest of your application.
No. Virginia Tech is test-optional, so you may apply without SAT or ACT scores and it will not count against you. If you do submit, the middle 50% of enrolled students scored 1280–1450 on the SAT and 28–32 on the ACT, and those scores are weighed as a considered factor.
Residency is a very important factor at Virginia Tech, but the admit-rate gap may surprise you: out-of-state applicants were admitted at a higher rate (58.7%, or 21,622 of 36,856) than Virginia residents (47.3%, or 9,893 of 20,900) in the most recent cycle. Virginia Tech draws a large national applicant pool, so being in-state does not confer an admissions advantage here.
Yes. Virginia Tech weighs first-generation status as a very important factor in its holistic review, the same tier as your GPA, course rigor, essay, and residency. It is one of the few clearly elevated factors in how applications are read.
Annual tuition and required fees run about $16,450 for in-state Virginia students and $38,310 for out-of-state students. About 29% of first-years receive need-based aid with an average package near $17,939, and Virginia Tech meets roughly 60% of demonstrated need on average.
Yes. Virginia Tech rates the application essay as a very important factor, the same top tier as your GPA and course rigor. With that weight, a specific, well-revised essay is a real opportunity to strengthen your application beyond the numbers.
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Popular majors
Bachelor's degrees awarded in the past year by academic major.
Student-faculty ratio
The number of students for every one faculty member, indicating the average level of access students have to instructional staff.
Campus life
On-campus housing and Greek life participation rates.
Enrollment by gender
Student diversity
Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduate students.
Source: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Common Data Set 2025-2026. Figures transcribed 2026-06-07. Esslo aggregates publicly reported data and is not affiliated with Virginia Tech. Banner photo by CBGator87, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). Cite this page as: Esslo College Explorer, “Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University admissions statistics, transcribed from the 2025-2026 Common Data Set,” https://www.esslo.org/colleges/virginia-tech (retrieved 2026-06-07).