Each year, Virginia Tech receives approximately 19,000 freshman applications and makes 12,500 offers of admission for a class of 5,000. We are committed to quality educational and student-life experiences. The staff of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions reviews each application thoroughly to find the best match for both student and university. This section provides an overview of what criteria you will need to have met in order to be considered for freshman admission.

High School Preparation

To be considered for freshman admission, an applicant must have graduated from an accredited public or private high school with a minimum of 18 units. (One unit equals one academic year of study in a selected course.) Students who will graduate from a program other than an accredited high school program should read Home Schoolers and Others in Non-Accredited Programs.

At least 14 of the 18 units must be academic or college preparatory units. These units are English, language studies, mathematics, natural and social sciences, history, and fine arts. At least a "C" (2.0 on a 4.0 scale) average is required in all academic courses for consideration. However, because admission to Virginia Tech is competitive, applicants with a solid “A/B” average or better within academic courses are more likely to be seriously considered for admission. Enrollment in college courses before completion of high school is not a basis for classification as a transfer applicant. An applicant is considered a freshman if entry to Virginia Tech comes directly after completion of high school.

Of the 18 required units, the following minimums must be met:

• English: 4 units, one in each year of high school.
• Math: 3 units, including algebra II and geometry. Admission preference will be given to those who complete math beyond algebra II. A fourth unit of math is required for engineering, building construction, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, physics, and statistics majors, and is strongly recommended for Pamplin College of Business majors. The fourth unit of math must include one-half unit of trigonometry and one-half unit of advanced algebra
  or higher mathematics. A fifth unit of math (e.g., calculus) is preferred for engineering majors.
• Social Science: 2 units; 1 unit must be in history.
• Laboratory Science: 2 units; units must be chosen from biology, chemistry, or physics. 3 units (including chemistry and physics) are required for admission to the College of Engineering and recommended for all science-related majors.
• Additional Coursework: 3 units from college preparatory courses. These may be electively chosen from English, natural sciences, social sciences, history, mathematics, computer science, language studies, and fine arts. These courses must be comparable in content and purpose to other required academic or college preparatory courses.
• The remaining 4 units may be selected from any course offerings for which the high school grants credit toward graduation.

Foreign Language Requirement

By the time they graduate from the university, students must meet a language study requirement.

For most majors, the minimum requirement may be met in high school by completing 2 units of a single foreign or classical language (3 units for those students who will graduate from certain majors within Virginia Tech’s College of Science and College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences). The requirement also may be met after admission by one
of the following:

• Earning 6 semester hours of college-level foreign or classical language credit. Such credits are in addition to that number normally required for graduation in a student’s program of study.
• Receiving credit by examination for a foreign or classical language.

Entrance Tests

The SAT or ACT should be taken by the December test date of the senior year. The score must be forwarded to the admissions office (CEEB code 5859, ACT code 4420). Applicants for 2006 who have not yet taken the SAT, or will be re-taking the SAT to improve their scores, should take the new SAT (which includes a writing component) for placement in the appropriate freshman English section. Applicants who have already taken the SAT do not have to retake the test solely for the purpose of taking the writing portion. Students without writing scores on the SAT will
be placed using any other available criteria. Students who elect to take the ACT should take the writing portion. Students for whom English is a second language are encouraged to take the TOEFL exam by January 15 and
submit that score to supplement the SAT critical reading or ACT verbal score.

Selection Criteria

Admission to Virginia Tech is competitive. Criteria such as grades, test scores, and the level of courses selected by the student compared to the level of courses offered by the school are an integral part of the admissions evaluation.

Naturally, high grades, high test scores, and a rigorous curriculum are qualifications that will often garner an offer of admission. However, please remember several points:

• Course selection: a challenging program of academic courses from the freshman year through the senior year – is the most important criterion for evaluating applications. Strong performance in advanced or honors courses in any academic or college preparatory subject area is given special consideration in the admission review process.
• A strong academic record may compensate for relatively low SAT or ACT scores, but high SAT or ACT scores will not compensate for a weak academic record.
• Applicants will be evaluated for admission relative to the entire applicant pool, to other applicants from their high school, and to other applicants for their choice of major.
• There are several programs of study at Virginia Tech that are more competitive than others. In recent years, programs in engineering, business, communication, industrial design, and architecture have been the most selective.

Selection criteria for a given year are generally well above the minimum requirements for admission to the university. The stronger the student’s academic preparation and performance above the stated minimum requirements, the greater the student’s chance of receiving an offer of admission.