Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech)

Blacksburg, Virginia, United States

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Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) - Overview & Background

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is a research University. Commonly referred to as Virginia Tech, this University started in 1872 and has been able to carve out a name for itself amongst the leading Universities of the nation and the world too. Though its main campus is located at Blacksburg, it also has six educational facilities within the state and one in Switzerland.

It is the third-largest university in the state of Virginia and offers 225 undergraduate degree programs and graduate degree programs.

The University offers degrees through schools, such as:

  • list items College of Engineering
  • list items The Pamplin College of Business
  • list items The School of Education and its Medicine School.  

Having started with 132 students, the University currently has 25,600 students on its rolls.

Former Names Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College (1872–1896) Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute (1896–1944) Virginia Polytechnic Institute (1944–1970)

Established

June 20, 1872

Founder

John M. McBryde

Also Known As

Virginia Tech

University Motto

That I May Serve

University Type

Public Research Senior Military College

University City

Blacksburg, Virginia

Student to Faculty Ratio

14:1

Main Campus

College town

Campus Size

2,600 acres (11 km2; 4.1 sq mi)

Endowment

$1.34 billion (2020)

Acceptance Rate

64.8%

Graduation Rate

83.5%

Employment Rate

63%

Official Website Link

Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg

Contact Detail

+1 540-231-6000

 

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Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) Virtual Tour

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Ranking

The institute is highly recognized for the quality of its program. Virginia Polytechnic Institute ranking is #326 in the QS Global World Rankings 2021. The institute is ranked 109th in the US College Rankings 2021 by the Times Higher Education's World University Rankings.

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Acceptance Rate

Virginia Polytechnic Institute acceptance rate is usually around 64.8% overall. Its acceptance rate for Indian students has been 34% historically.

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Infrastructure

The main campus of the University is spread over 2600 acres. Though some buildings look historic from the outside, the interiors are state-of-the-art and students have access to world-class equipment in the first-class lecture halls and laboratories. The various libraries located on the campus share 4 million volumes of books amongst themselves. Students also have access to sports facilities, recreation areas as well as coffee shops.

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Residing Options

Virginia Tech offers on-campus accommodation to its students. Virginia Tech's Housing and Residence Life manages the on-campus accommodation and runs 47 on-campus residence halls. However, many students choose to live off-campus and end up spending $700-$800 every month. The popular areas for off-campus accommodation are The Village, Pheasant Run, and Foxridge.

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Faculty and pedagogy

Virginia Tech is a name to reckon with in the field of education and is known globally for the quality of education it offers. As such, its faculty is top-notch. Though the faculty is research-oriented, they are moderately approachable and students can get a helping hand when needed.

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Fees

Virginia Polytechnic Institute tuition fees for Indian students is around $15,000, of course, depending upon the course the student is choosing. The annual off-campus living cost is around $6,000.

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Financial aid

Virginia Tech is a public University and thus offers quite a number of scholarships. However, these are given only to the meritorious students and since Virginia Tech has quite a large number of high-performers, so the competition for these scholarships is quite stiff. The University also regularly offers Teaching Assistantships and Research Assistantships to students.

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Jobs and placements

Virginia Tech has an excellent career and professional development cell which helps graduates to get the right job by giving them guidance and access to resources. According to payscale.com, the aerospace and defense industry, the engineering services industry, and IT services are popular employment sectors among Virginia Tech alumni.

The most popular professional field seems to be the consulting industry. Graduates of Virginia Tech earn about $73K on average. Senior Software engineers get the maximum median pay (around $106K). Software engineers and project managers make $81 and $78K respectively.

Popular Companies which hire Virginia tech graduates are as follows. -

  • list items Booz, Allen, and Hamilton ($57,227 - $93,058)
  • list items Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) - $36,857 - $62,602
  • list items Northrop Grumman Corporation - $68,951 - $99,183
  • list items Capital One Financial Corp-- $66,977 - $118,367
  • list items Lockheed Martin Corp - $62,171 - $93,004.

The college website reported salary percentiles of students passing out from different engineering majors (75% earn around this figure)

  • list items Aerospace Engineering - $71,500
  • list items Chemical Engineering- $80,000
  • list items Civil Engineering- $64,000
  • list items Computer Science- $99,000
  • list items Electrical Engineering-$76,200
  • list items Industrial & Systems Engineering- $72,500
  • list items Mechanical Engineering- $72,000
  • list items Materials Science & Engineering- $68,000.
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Notable Alumni

Some famous alumni from “university name” include:

  • list items Richard Baker (Class of 1998), Game designer
  • list items Steve Bannon (Class of 1976), Former executive chairman of Breitbart News and White House Chief Strategist for U.S.President Donald Trump
  • list items Dave Calhoun, President and CEO of Boeing former global head of Private Equity, Blackstone Group; former CEO and chairman of the board, Nielsen Holdings
  • list items Charles J. Camarda (Class of 1983, Ph.D.), Astronaut on board the space shuttle Discovery for the STS-114 mission
  • list items Joseph DeSimone (1990 Ph.D.), Co-founder and CEO of Carbon
  • list items Traci DeShazor, Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia for Governor Ralph S. Northam

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Verdict

Virginia Tech is an excellent University for all courses and especially for Masters in Civil, Mechanical, or Aerospace Engineering. Getting admission here is extremely difficult. Apply here only if you have an excellent profile and if you have been accepted here, have no second thoughts.

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Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) Location

Virginia Tech has a 2,600-acre main campus, educational and research facilities across the state. The main Virginia Tech campus is located in Blacksburg, Virginia, about 65 km southwest of Roanoke, Virginia.

  • list items Roanoke - Blacksburg Regional Airport in Roanoke, Va., is served by major domestic airlines. The Smart Way Bus offers regularly scheduled service between the airport and Squires Student Center in Blacksburg.
  • list items Bus: Greyhound Bus Lines serves the Blacksburg area via a stop in Roanoke at the Campbell Court bus station downtown. The Smart Way Bus offers regularly scheduled service between Campbell Court and Squires Student Center in Blacksburg.
  • list items Train: Amtrak passes through Virginia and West Virginia on several routes. Amtrak's Northeast Regional service was extended and now stops in Roanoke.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) Map Location

Address: Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States

 

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Frequently Asked Questions about Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech)

Is Virginia Tech and Virginia Polytech the same ?
 
Virginia Tech, sometimes known as VT, VA Tech, or VPI, is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. Its official name is the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
What is Virginia Tech famous for ?
 
More than 37,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students from all across the commonwealth are enrolled at Virginia Tech, the most comprehensive university in the state and a top research school, which also oversees a $556 million research portfolio.
Is Virginia Tech a military college ?
 
There are currently only six senior military colleges outside of the five federal military academies, with the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets being one of them. One of just two sizable public universities in the US that keeps a full-time Corps of Cadets is Virginia Tech and Texas A&M being the other.  
 
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