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Academic Requirements for Freshmen

Each year, more than 20,000 people apply to be among 5,000 entering students. To be considered for admission, you must complete:

  • 18 units of high-school course work
  • 4 units of English
  • 3 units of math (includes algebra I, geometry, and algebra II)
  • 2 units of laboratory science (chosen from biology, chemistry or physics)
  • 2 units of social science (one must be history)
  • 3 additional academic units (foreign language is highly recommended)
  • 4 elective units

Some majors have other requirements, such as an additional year of advanced math or lab science. Most students who are selected for admission have completed more than the minimum requirements and have at least a B+ grade point average.

ACT/SAT Requirements

Virginia Tech accepts either the SAT Reasoning Test (including critical reading and math) or ACT test scores. Since Virginia Tech utilizes the writing portion of each test for placement purposes, students who opt to take only the ACT should take the ACT plus writing. We do not require SAT Subject Tests for admission. All tests should be taken by the December test date of the senior year.

Students who are not from an accredited program should go to the Home Schoolers and Others in Non-Accredited Programs section for more information.

For information about test locations and online registration, you may wish to visit the SAT website or ACT website.

Fall 2010 Freshman Offers at a Glance

Average GPA: 3.96
Mid-50% GPA: 3.71–4.17

Note: Each applicant is evaluated in the context of the high school(s) attended. Admissions' review of grades is based upon the letter and/or numeric grades presented for each class, not the GPA. GPAs above reflect weighted and unweighted grades as reported by high schools. As a result, the GPAs of offered students vary widely.

Average SAT: 1250
Mid-50% SAT*: 1160–1340
(SAT scores reflect critical reading and math section scores only)

*This means that 25% of freshmen offered admission to Virginia Tech scored below 1160 on the SAT (combined critical reading and math) and 25% of freshmen offered admission scored above 1340 on the SAT ((combined critical reading and math).

Please note: These are not minimum requirements for admission to Virginia Tech.

For more information about the incoming class of 2014, please see the complete Freshman Snapshot.