Quad
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityBlacksburg, VA · Public

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Management Science (8% of graduates). 17 students for every faculty member, more than at 78% of colleges. 99% of faculty are full-time. Spends $15,632 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

7,688 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 27% of graduates; 75 programs in 23 fields awarded at least one.

  1. Management Science 52.13017.9% 610
    Graduates in this field earn $108,726 4 years out
  2. Computer and Information Sciences, General 11.01016.9% 527
    Graduates in this field earn $144,103 4 years out
  3. Finance, General 52.08014.6% 356
    Graduates in this field earn $102,902 4 years out
  4. Mechanical Engineering 14.19014.0% 310
    Graduates in this field earn $96,376 4 years out
  5. Speech Communication and Rhetoric 09.01013.8% 293
    Graduates in this field earn $66,106 4 years out

Fastest-growing field: Business, 19% → 24% of graduates since 2014–15 (1,855 graduates in 2024–25).

Source:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2014–15 to 2024–25About the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)

Bachelor's degrees awarded July through June, by federal program name (), which can differ from what the college calls a major. A double major counts once, under the ; its other field is a . Earnings are College Scorecard's median for graduates of the program's broader field (), 4 years after completion; see Top-earning majors below.

Top-earning majors here

By earnings 4 years after completion

  1. Computer and Information Sciences, General$144,103 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $96,432

    4 years after completion$144,103
    National median: $92,374Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $114,316 · Non-Pell: $117,268(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $20,500 · 892 graduates, two most recent years combined

  2. Computer Engineering$122,026 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $86,636

    4 years after completion$122,026
    National median: $109,015Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $112,330 · Non-Pell: $101,495(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $25,929 · 417 graduates, two most recent years combined

  3. Applied Mathematics$117,990 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $82,275

    4 years after completion$117,990
    National median: $91,532Above typical

    Median federal debt: $20,000 · 0 graduates, two most recent years combined

  4. Industrial Engineering$116,641 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $82,437

    4 years after completion$116,641
    National median: $98,442Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $92,952 · Non-Pell: $92,239(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $22,625 · 431 graduates, two most recent years combined

  5. Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods$108,726 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $77,877

    4 years after completion$108,726
    National median: $86,176Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $91,689 · Non-Pell: $97,542(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $21,500 · 930 graduates, two most recent years combined

Bachelor's programs only, among graduates who received federal financial aid and were working (not enrolled in school) in the measurement year.

Students per faculty member vs. every college17 to 1
17 to 1
← Fewer students per facultymore students per faculty member than 78% of 1,892More students per faculty →

Not the average class size: faculty also teach graduate students and do research, and large lectures can sit alongside small seminars.

Full-time faculty99%
National median: 67%Above typical
Average faculty salary

$126,699

9-month equated, all ranks combined. Pay tracks local cost of living as much as a college's generosity.

Spending and endowment

Fiscal 2023–24. Compared only against other public colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable. Many public universities' endowments sit mostly in a separate foundation this survey doesn't count, so this likely understates what's actually available.

Instruction spending per student$15,632
$15,632
← Lessmore than 79% of 557More →
Endowment per student$49,592
$49,592
← Lessmore than 89% of 537More →

Sources:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard Field of Study data, most recent release;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)