College Azimuth

Career outcomes brief

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated

How much do Virginia Tech graduates earn?

The reported median is $85,647 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is $20,037 per year.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $85,647, in the 93rd percentile. That is $20,037 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the return at the 91st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $4,910 more than expects for similar students.

That places the gap at the 71st percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures adds $15,225.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $10,315. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $4,670.

Earnings vary widely by field, with earnings scenarios ranging from $57,418 in the downside case to $116,604 in the upside case. These are scenarios based on the program mix, not observed groups, and published earnings cover 57 programs.

At the upper end, Computer and Information Sciences completers report median earnings of $144,103 four years after completion; Computer Engineering is at $122,026, and Industrial Engineering is at $116,641. Those field-level results show why the modeled range is broad.

An estimated 29.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Four-year earnings cover completers who are working and not enrolled, so this estimate matters when reading that earnings snapshot: some graduates pursuing further study are outside it.

Median earnings · four years after completion
$85,647
Rank for difference from expectations
71st percentile
Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks
Virginia Tech reported median
$85,647
Peer schools comparable schools · $20,037 below Virginia Tech
$65,610
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $4,910 below Virginia Tech
$80,737

School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. How the model works.

How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $57,418 to $116,604, around the reported median of $85,647. Compare the lower scenario with Virginia Tech borrowing and monthly payments to see how a smaller income could change your plan.

Modeled from the school’s program mix; not salary percentiles or a forecast for one graduate.

Earnings four years after completion
Planning rangeReported median
Lower estimate
$57,418
Median · reported
$85,647
Higher estimate
$116,604

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

Why the downside matters explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. Read about the move to four-year earnings.

Do Virginia Tech graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls value added.

Virginia Tech graduates’ reported earnings are $4,910 above that expectation, the 71st percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending Virginia Tech caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$15,225
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$10,315
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$4,910

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Which fields at Virginia Tech report the highest earnings?

At Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, the higher-earning fields in this set are technical, but earnings vary across prominent programs. Four years after completion, Computer and Information Sciences shows median earnings of $144,103 from 366 degrees awarded.

Azimuth ranks the field #14 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions. Industrial Engineering reports $116,641 from 191 degrees awarded and ranks #5 nationally by Azimuth among that cohort.

Outside engineering, Management Science records median earnings of $108,726 across 444 degrees awarded; Azimuth places it at #8 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions. Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services is more moderate at $74,005 from 252 degrees awarded, despite an Azimuth national rank of #1 among that cohort.

The field results range from high earnings in technical programs to a more moderate figure in this nationally ranked field.

The program roster includes several fields with high national placements and distinctly different earnings levels. Azimuth lists 53 ranked bachelor's programs among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Azimuth ranks Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services #1 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions; it awarded 252 degrees and its completers had median earnings of $74,005 four years after completion. Construction Engineering ranks #3 nationally, awarded 65 degrees, and shows $102,699 in median earnings four years after completion.

Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology ranks #3 nationally, with 23 degrees awarded and $67,892 in median earnings at the same point.

Highest reported four-year program earnings
Computer and Information Sciences, General
$144,103
Computer Engineering
$122,026
Industrial Engineering
$116,641
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
$108,726
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering
$106,633
Chemical Engineering
$106,011
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering
$104,839
Finance and Financial Management Services
$102,902

Explore Virginia Tech program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix range from $57,418 in the downside scenario to $85,647 in the typical scenario and $116,604 in the upside scenario. Computer and Information Sciences sits at the high end with $144,103 four years after completion, while Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services is the lowest-earning of the largest programs at $74,005. The spread shows that field choice matters for the earnings picture.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University posts high earnings four years after completion: the median is $85,647 among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. That figure is based on an earnings cohort of 5,294 completers, and Azimuth places it in the 93rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $4,910 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings scenarios tied to the program mix put typical earnings at $85,647, with a downside scenario of $57,418 and an upside scenario of $116,604.

An estimated 29.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The school-level median and the modeled range both point to earnings that can differ substantially by field.

Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: methodology.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.