VA Tech

Programs and Other Educational Opportunities

Virginia Tech offers 120 different academic programs (majors) over 8 different colleges. VA Tech also offers internships, study abroad programs, and research co-op opportunities, all of which start freshman year. Note that exchange and study abroad programs can last anywhere from 1 week to 4 years.

Location, Housing, and Food

VA Tech is located in Blacksburg, Virginia. The current undergraduate program has around 30,500 students total. The housing is first come, first serve after an offer from VA Tech is received by email. However, if you wish to change your residence hall, the housing office can assist you. All freshmen are required to live on campus with exceptions for family or medical issues. The housing office can also assist you with this. Service animals are allowed. Other exotic pets such as snakes or lizards need confirmation from the housing office to live on campus. VA Tech offers nine different dining halls and is ranked to have the 3rd best college food in the US.

How to Apply

VA Tech accepts all applications through the Common App. However, it will not accept the general Common App Essay or any formal resumes. Instead, they accept essays about 4 different questions focusing on service, leadership, long term goals, and resilience and self reflection. Each essay has a 120 word limit. VA Tech also requires you to fill out a self report on your classes and grades. You will report all classes you took or are taking from 9th-12th grade. Then you will report grades from 9th-11th grade. 12th grade grades will not be accepted. If you are admitted to the school, VA Tech may choose to request a full high school transcript. You may also submit your SAT or ACT scores in this form, but as of 2025, VA Tech is test optional. Applications with and without test scores are not compared. Admission has been equal between both groups in the past. VA Tech’s test optional nature may change in the future.

What is VA Tech looking for in its students?

The primary thing VA Tech prioritizes when looking at an application is the student’s choice in major. Since applications for different majors are not compared, when you choose a major it also changes your competition. The second thing VA Tech looks for is academic rigor, or the classes you took and the grades you got from them. The third thing VA Tech considers is your 4 personal question essays. The fourth and last thing VA Tech examines is extracurricular activities. However, these are much less important than the other three. VA Tech is also looking for people who apply early action. Admission chances have been greatly increased for this group in the past. Service is a large part of VA Tech, so be prepared to answer questions regarding what service means to you on your application.

Honors College and Switching Majors

The Honors College at VA Tech can be applied to with a check box on a person’s application. Applying to the Honors College will not affect general admission application. The Honors College accepts applications on different standards than general admission, so while both parties will look at the application, they may have different verdicts. If you fail to get into the Honors College, then you may reapply every semester. One application strategy for college is to apply to an easier major and then transfer into a harder major. However, this is not recommended for VA Tech. If you’re changing majors within a single college, such as changing from biochemistry to molecular biology, it’s very easy. However, transferring to a different college, like psychology to math, is much harder. The process takes extensive paperwork and sometimes even requires certain courses to be taken before a transfer. Even harder than that is transferring into the college of Engineering. They are very protective of their applicants and almost never take outside transfers. You cannot transfer into the majors of Architecture and Industrial Design, as they are restricted majors.

Extra Information and DE Credits

DE, AP, and IB credits are all considered to be of equal academic rigor for VA Tech. Most DE credits are accepted, but if you’re looking for a specific credit to be transferred, contact the Office Registrar. Even if you have an Associate’s Degree you may still be considered a freshman and be required to take freshman courses. It depends on the college you apply to. Personal vehicles are allowed for all students on campus. VA Tech offers many sports at different levels of rigor such as Cub sports, Intramural sports, twenty two different varsity level sports. Applications can be waived. Simply select the box on the application to apply to be waived.