Virginia Tech Acceptance Rate: 54.6%, the Majors Behind the Number, and a 13,000 Person Waitlist
By Rona Aydin
TL;DR: The Virginia Tech acceptance rate was 54.6 percent for fall 2025, the Class of 2029: 31,515 students admitted from 57,755 first-year applications, according to the university’s Common Data Set. For fall 2026, Virginia Tech received more than 58,000 applications for about 7,200 spaces. Virginia residents were admitted at 47.3 percent for fall 2025, out-of-state applicants at 58.9 percent, and international applicants at 57.6 percent. Virginia Tech reviews applications by major, its waitlist is large and unranked (13,380 students accepted a place for fall 2025 and 4,295 were admitted), and it is test optional for students entering through fall 2028. Early Action closes November 15 and Regular Decision January 15; there is no Early Decision. To discuss your strategy, schedule a consultation.
Sources: Virginia Tech Common Data Set 2025-2026; Virginia Tech Undergraduate Admissions.
What Is the Virginia Tech Acceptance Rate?
Virginia Tech admitted 54.6 percent of first-year applicants for fall 2025, the Class of 2029. The university received 57,755 applications, admitted 31,515 students, and enrolled 7,133, according to its Common Data Set for 2025-2026. Yield, the share of admitted students who enrolled, was 22.6 percent.
For fall 2026, Virginia Tech reports that it received more than 58,000 applications for approximately 7,200 spaces, and its waitlist page says it expected 7,251 students to enroll. Full fall 2026 figures will appear in the 2026-2027 Common Data Set.
What Is the Virginia Tech Acceptance Rate for Out-of-State Students?
| Applicant group (fall 2025) | Applied | Admitted | Acceptance rate | Enrolled | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia residents | 20,900 | 9,893 | 47.3% | 4,439 | 44.9% |
| Out-of-state | 31,104 | 18,311 | 58.9% | 2,368 | 12.9% |
| International | 5,751 | 3,311 | 57.6% | 326 | 9.8% |
| Total | 57,755 | 31,515 | 54.6% | 7,133 | 22.6% |
Source: Virginia Tech Common Data Set 2025-2026, section C1. Rates and yields are Oriel Admissions calculations from the reported counts.
For fall 2025, out-of-state and international applicants were admitted at higher rates than Virginia residents, but far fewer of them enrolled: 12.9 percent of out-of-state admits and 9.8 percent of international admits, against 44.9 percent of Virginia residents. Virginia residents made up 62.2 percent of the enrolled class. Residency is one of the personal factors Virginia Tech lists in its holistic review. Our Virginia Tech out-of-state acceptance rate guide covers nonresident strategy in more detail.
Why Does Your Major Matter at Virginia Tech?
Virginia Tech reviews applications by major. The major requested on the application is part of the academic review, along with the rigor of the program in the context of the school, grades and trends over time, and test scores for students who choose to have them reviewed. A denial means the application was not considered competitive for the major to which the student applied, and decisions are final within a cycle.
The same logic runs through the waitlist: offers from the list depend on space by major, and students cannot change majors while on it. Virginia Tech does not report admit rates by major in its Common Data Set, so Oriel Admissions advises families to treat the 54.6 percent university rate as an average across programs with very different demand. Our Virginia Tech engineering admissions guide covers the engineering application in depth, and our guides to Purdue and UIUC acceptance rates cover two other large publics where the major shapes the odds.
What GPA and Test Scores Do You Need for Virginia Tech?
Enrolled first-year students for fall 2025 reported an average high school GPA of 4.06. In the Common Data Set GPA bands, 67 percent were in the top band of 4.0, 18 percent were between 3.75 and 3.99, and 10 percent were between 3.50 and 3.74.
Virginia Tech is test optional for students entering through fall 2028. Applicants select on the application whether they want scores reviewed, and Virginia Tech states that choosing not to include scores will not affect the decision; it does not look at the Writing section of either test. For fall 2025, 42 percent of enrolled students submitted an SAT and 8 percent an ACT. The ACT middle 50 percent was 28 to 32, and the SAT section ranges were 640 to 720 in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and 640 to 730 in Math; Virginia Tech did not report SAT composite percentiles. Our test requirement tracker shows which peers still require scores.
Letters of recommendation are not required, and Virginia Tech states that they are not considered even if submitted. Personal statements are submitted through the Ut Prosim Profile, and applicants in the United States self-report courses and grades through the STARS record.
What Are the Chances of Getting Off the Virginia Tech Waitlist?
For fall 2025, Virginia Tech offered 22,526 students a place on its waitlist; 13,380 accepted, and 4,295 were admitted, 32.1 percent of those who stayed on the list, according to the Common Data Set. The waitlist is not ranked.
The number varies sharply by year. Virginia Tech’s waitlist page reports offers to 4,485 waitlisted applicants in 2025, 1,517 in 2024, none in 2023, 2,458 in 2022, 3,286 in 2021, 3,961 in 2020, and none in 2019. It also states that letters of recommendation, letters of continued interest, and personal visits will not affect waitlist decisions, which are made from the information already in the application. For fall 2026, waitlisted students were to be notified no later than July 1. Students who want to stay on the list should confirm through the Response to Waitlist form and commit to another college by its May 1 deadline.
When Are the Virginia Tech Application Deadlines?
All first-year applicants apply through the Common App, which opens for Virginia Tech on August 1. For the 2026-2027 cycle, the Early Action deadline is November 15, with the STARS record due December 1, and the Regular Decision deadline, which Virginia Tech labels space available, is January 15, with the STARS record due January 24. The General Scholarship application and FAFSA are due January 22 for General Scholarship applicants, and admitted students respond by May 1 with a $400 enrollment deposit. Virginia Tech does not offer Early Decision, and its Early Action plan is nonbinding. Our comparison of Early Action and Early Decision explains how a nonbinding early deadline fits a full list.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Virginia Tech Acceptance Rate
Virginia Tech admitted 54.6 percent of first-year applicants for fall 2025: 31,515 of 57,755, according to its 2025-2026 Common Data Set. For fall 2026, it received more than 58,000 applications for about 7,200 spaces.
Virginia Tech does not report an engineering admit rate in its Common Data Set. It reviews applications by major, so an engineering applicant is evaluated for engineering, and waitlist offers also depend on space by major. The Oriel Admissions Virginia Tech engineering admissions guide covers the engineering application in depth.
For fall 2025, 13,380 students accepted a place on the waitlist and 4,295 were admitted, about 32 percent. The number changes sharply by year: Virginia Tech made no waitlist offers in 2023 and 1,517 in 2024. The list is unranked, and letters of continued interest do not affect decisions.
Virginia Tech offers nonbinding Early Action, due November 15 for the 2026-2027 cycle, and Regular Decision, due January 15. It does not offer Early Decision.
Enrolled first-year students for fall 2025 reported an average high school GPA of 4.06, and 67 percent were in the top Common Data Set GPA band of 4.0. Virginia Tech is test optional through fall 2028; among enrolled students who submitted the ACT, the middle 50 percent was 28 to 32.
At the admission stage it was for fall 2025: out-of-state applicants were admitted at 58.9 percent and Virginia residents at 47.3 percent. Far fewer out-of-state admits enrolled, and Virginia residents made up 62.2 percent of the entering class.
Sources: Virginia Tech Common Data Set 2025-2026, Virginia Tech First-year Admissions Requirements, Virginia Tech Dates and Deadlines for 2026-2027, Virginia Tech First-year Application Checklist, Virginia Tech Fall Waitlist FAQ, Virginia Tech, What Does My Admissions Decision Mean.
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