Despite national headwinds, Virginia Tech’s enrollment growth continues

Virginia Tech met its 2026 incoming class goals according to the latest fall enrollment census released by the university, despite the national trend of a shrinking traditional college-aged population and the resulting enrollment cliff facing other institutions.

The 2026 first-year class of 7,495 students came from a record 58,052 applications, with Virginia Tech setting a new high for first-year applications for admission in each of the past five years.

Virginia Tech’s total enrollment stands at 39,213 students. That number is a slight increase over last year, as is the number of in-state students at the university, which currently stands at nearly 21,000.

The student population in Blacksburg, Roanoke, and the greater Washington, D.C., area includes:

“Virginia Tech’s 2026 enrollment results reflect the strength of our university, and the value students and families place on the experience we provide,” said Juan Espinoza, vice provost for enrollment management. “This momentum reflects students’ confidence in Virginia Tech to prepare them for meaningful careers and lives.”

With the 2026 first-year class, Virginia Tech saw a 4.6 percent increase in transfer students to 1,228, and a 1.4 percent increase in first generation first-time-in-college students to 1,535.

Virginia Tech’s retention rates also remained strong. Last year’s first-year cohort retention rate was 93.9 percent. Over the past decade (2016-2025), the university’s first-year retention rate has consistently stayed between 91 percent and 95 percent.

In addition, Virginia Tech’s graduation rates continue to remain strong. Approximately 72 percent of first-time-in-college students in the 2022 cohort graduated in four years – an increase of nearly 1.5 percent. More than 85 percent of first-time-in-college students in the 2020 cohort graduated within six years.