Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, Virginia · Public · 4-year · Small city
Overview
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is a public four-year institution based in Blacksburg, Virginia. Its campus is in a small city. It enrolled 38,857 students in fall 2024, including 31,035 undergraduates and 7,822 graduate students. It is a land-grant institution. It holds the Carnegie R1 designation for very high research activity.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University offers certificates, associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, doctoral degrees, and professional doctorates across 171 programs. Its largest programs by number of graduates are Computer and Information Sciences, General, Management Science, and Mechanical Engineering. It awarded 11,135 degrees and certificates in 2024-25. 17 of its programs can be completed entirely online.
93% of full-time first-year students return for a second year. The student-to-faculty ratio is 17 to 1.
Mission
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) is a public land-grant university serving the Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation, and the world community. The discovery and dissemination of new knowledge are central to its mission. Through its focus on teaching and learning, research and discovery, and outreach and engagement, the university creates, conveys, and applies knowledge to expand personal growth and opportunity, advance social and community development, foster economic competitiveness, and improve the quality of life.
Key figures
38,857
Students enrolled
93%
First-year retention
11,135
Degrees and certificates awarded, 2024-25
171
Programs and majors
17:1
Student-to-faculty ratio
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Delivery modes
CampusOnlineHybrid
Program levels
CertificateAssociateBachelorMasterPhDProfessional
Programs and majors offered 171
Graduate counts are degrees and certificates awarded in each program between July 2024 and June 2025. Largest fields are listed first.
Retention is for students who started in fall 2023 and returned in fall 2024.
First-year retention, full-time students
93%
First-year retention, part-time students
56%
Student-to-faculty ratio
17:1
Degrees and certificates awarded
Awards conferred between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025.
Bachelor's degrees
7,688
Associate degrees
39
Master's degrees
2,097
Doctoral degrees (research)
548
Professional doctorates
164
Postbaccalaureate certificates
585
Post-master's certificates
14
Enrollment
Students, fall 2024
38,857
Undergraduates, fall 2024
31,035
Graduate students, fall 2024
7,822
Full-time, fall 2024
93%
Students over the full 2024-25 year
40,946
Undergraduates, 2024-25
32,211
Graduate students, 2024-25
8,735
Full-time, 2024-25
91%
Size category
20,000 students or more
Student body
Share of all students enrolled during 2024-25. Small groups can round to zero and are not listed.
Women
43%
Men
57%
White
54%
Hispanic or Latino
9%
Black or African American
6%
Asian
12%
Two or more races
5%
International (U.S. nonresident)
11%
Race or ethnicity unknown
3%
Online and flexible learning
Distance education in 2024-25.
Programs that can be completed fully online
17
Online graduate programs
Yes
Students studying fully online
6%
Students taking some online courses
49%
Weekend or evening classes
Yes
Campus and services
Setting
Small city
Academic calendar
Semester
Carnegie classification
Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity
Research designation
Research 1: Very High Spending and Doctorate Production
Athletic association
NCAA
Athletic conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
President
Timothy D. Sands
Services and opportunities
Study abroad, ROTC, Undergraduate research, Teacher certification, Academic and career counseling, Student employment services, Job placement for graduates, Accepts AP credit