Colleges › Virginia › Virginia Military Institute
Virginia Military Institute
Virginia Military Institute says yes to 71.3% of applicants. Focus less on getting in and more on what's below — starting with the $77,369 median earnings.
Not sure where you stand? Estimate your GPA →
Virginia Military Institute anchors the college town of Lexington, VA, where the public campus and town largely share a footprint.
Its highest-earning path is Computer Science, where graduates median $94,397 four years out. 16.5% of undergraduates carry Pell grants — a plain read on who the campus actually serves. With 1,527 undergraduates and a residential core, weekends happen on campus — and 81% of first-years come back for a second year.
Submitters admitted here typically landed between 1040 and 1260 — near the VA middle for four-year schools. Put your own practice estimate on Virginia Military Institute's range with the SAT calculator, or bring a saved GPA from the grade tools.
Admissions
In the Fall 2023 cycle, Virginia Military Institute received 1,171 applications and admitted 957 (81.7%), with 469 enrolling.
You can apply to Virginia Military Institute without scores. Among admitted students who did submit, the middle half landed between 1040 and 1260; applicants below that range often simply apply without them.
| Score | 25th | 50th | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Reading & Writing | 530 | 590 | 640 |
| SAT Math | 510 | 580 | 620 |
| ACT Composite | 22 | 25 | 28 |
Percentiles are among students who submitted scores (Fall 2023 admissions cycle).
How Virginia Military Institute compares
| Virginia Military Institute | Virginia median | National median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 71.3% | 83.1% | 77.2% |
| Tuition (in-state) | $21,046 | $21,650 | $19,591 |
| Median earnings (10 yr) | $77,369 | $53,453 | $53,781 |
Earnings data favors Virginia Military Institute: $77,369 median at year ten, versus $53,453 across Virginia institutions.
Cost, size & completion
In-state students pay $21,046 in tuition; crossing a state border raises that to $52,638. For non-residents, Virginia Military Institute's $52,638 is the number to weigh against private options before assuming public means cheaper.
Enrollment sits at 1,527 — Virginia Military Institute is one of the smaller campuses on this site.
76.2% of Virginia Military Institute students finish a bachelor's within six years — 21.4 points above the national 54.9% — and the single best predictor that the $21,046 price above buys a degree, not just enrollment.
Top majors by earnings at Virginia Military Institute
| Bachelor's program | Median earnings, 4 yrs after completion |
|---|---|
| Computer Science | $94,397 |
| Civil Engineering | $76,991 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $76,909 |
| Economics | $76,296 |
| Psychology, General | $75,059 |
| Applied Mathematics | $74,740 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | $73,971 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | $72,700 |
| History | $72,630 |
| Biology, General | $71,547 |
Median earnings for these 10 Virginia Military Institute programs come from a different federal cohort than the campus-wide $77,369 above — compare rows to each other, not to that 10-year figure. 5 additional Virginia Military Institute programs have earnings withheld under federal privacy rules.
Frequently asked questions
What GPA and test scores do you need for Virginia Military Institute?
Among admitted students who submitted scores, the middle 50% scored 1040–1260 on the SAT. There's no published GPA cutoff — pair these ranges with the 71.3% admission rate to judge your odds.
What is Virginia Military Institute's acceptance rate?
81.7% in the Fall 2023 cycle — 957 admitted from 1,171 applicants.
How much does Virginia Military Institute cost?
In-state tuition is $21,046; out-of-state students pay $52,638. Fees, housing and aid move the real total in both directions.
What do Virginia Military Institute graduates earn?
Federal data puts median earnings at $77,369 ten years after enrolling. The table above breaks this down by major.
Similar colleges in Virginia
- Virginia Wesleyan University — 72.9% admitted
- Sweet Briar College — 75.5% admitted
- Shenandoah University — 77% admitted
- Roanoke College — 83.1% admitted
Run your own numbers
Data: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Jun 2026), IPEDS ADM2023/HD2024. Retrieved 2026-09-01. Figures reflect the latest federal cohorts, which lag the current admissions cycle.