Virginia Military Institute is a public institution offering bachelor's degrees based in Lexington, Virginia. It enrolls 1,527 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
AccreditorSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Strong
79/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes77
Value88
Affordability38
Selectivity62
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
Virginia Military Institute admits 71.3% of applicants, which makes it moderately selective, and realistic if you meet the academic profile.
Acceptance Rate
71.3%
Moderate
SAT Range (25th–75th)
1050 – 1270
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
24 – 31
Cumulative composite
Test PolicyNot ConsideredStandardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Virginia Military Institute is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
22.2 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $17,113 a year on average, it sits below what public colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$21,046
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$52,638
Room & Board (on-campus)
$11,310
Books & Supplies
$1,200
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$2,150
Total Cost of Attendance
$34,824
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$12,697
$30,001 – $48,000
$9,246
$48,001 – $75,000
$12,162
$75,001 – $110,000
$13,385
Over $110,000
$23,434
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$5,50010%percentile
$8,00025%percentile
$22,996Medianpercentile
$27,00075%percentile
$30,00090%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $20,500
↓ $2,496
No Pell $16,250
↓ $6,746
Female students $12,750
↓ $10,246
Male students $19,500
↓ $3,496
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $5,500, less than completers ($22,996), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
81% of students who start here finish within six years, and 82% come back after first year. Most people who start here leave with the degree they came for. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
81%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
82%
Returning for their second year
What this means:
Strong completion signals. Most students who start, finish.
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $77,369 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$77,369
Earning > $25K
92%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
7.9 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Excellent. 94% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 1,527 students, a mid-sized community.
Total Enrolled
1,527
Part-Time
0%
First-Generation
15%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 69.2%1,056
Hispanic 10.5%161
Black 7.7%118
Other 4.8%73
Asian 4.7%72
International 2.0%30
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Virginia Military Institute. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Virginia Military Institute offers
a varied set of programs:
14 distinct programs across
10 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
There are 10 students for every instructor here: small classes, and staff who are likely to know your name.
Student : Faculty
10:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$23,199
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$716M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$78,082
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
143 instructional faculty across 5 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
63
44%
$94,546
Associate Professors
25
17%
$69,830
Assistant Professors
43
30%
$65,222
Instructors
6
4%
$52,606
Lecturers
6
4%
$57,228
Pros & Cons of Virginia Military Institute
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Virginia Military Institute is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
No graduate programs offered at this institution
Narrow program catalog compared to mid-sized peers
Best for:
Based on the data, Virginia Military Institute is a fit for
students prioritizing post-graduation earnings.
Frequently Asked Questions about Virginia Military Institute
The questions families ask most about Virginia Military Institute, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Virginia Military Institute hard to get into?
Admissions at Virginia Military Institute are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 71.3%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at Virginia Military Institute?
71.3% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for Virginia Military Institute?
Aim for 1270 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 1050 and 1270 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for Virginia Military Institute?
Aim for 31 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 24 and 31 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does Virginia Military Institute cost?
Budget around $17,113 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Virginia Military Institute worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $77,369 a year against a net price of $17,113, about 4.5 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Virginia Military Institute known for?
Mostly International Relations, Economics, History. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Virginia Military Institute graduates earn?
About $77,369 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Virginia Military Institute accredited?
Yes. Virginia Military Institute is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend Virginia Military Institute?
1,527 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Virginia Military Institute?
81% finish within six years. Most people who start here graduate, which is the signal you want. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Virginia Military Institute a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Virginia Military Institute located?
Virginia Military Institute is located in Lexington, Virginia.
What programs does Virginia Military Institute offer?
14 different programs, most commonly International Relations, Economics, History. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Virginia Military Institute?
10 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Related Colleges in Virginia
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Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
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Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
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