Virginia Military Institute
Lexington, Virginia · Also known as VMI · Website
$77,369
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$77,369
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Virginia Military Institute is a public 4-year college in Lexington, Virginia with 1,527 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $17,113 a year (tuition and fees $21,046 in-state, $52,638 out-of-state). It admits 71% of applicants and 76% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $77,369 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $22,996 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$17,113
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$21,046
Out-of-state $52,638
Admission rate
71%
US median 78%
Completion rate
76%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$22,996
About $244 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$77,369
Rank 233 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $17,113
- Tuition in-state
- $21,046
- Tuition out-of-state
- $52,638
- Cost of attendance
- $34,824
- Students with a need-based grant
- 16%
- Students with federal loans
- 59%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $12,697
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $9,246
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $12,162
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $13,385
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $23,434
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $16,536 in 2015-16 to $21,046 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 71%
- Average SAT
- 1,244
- SAT reading, middle
- 600
- SAT math, middle
- 590
- ACT, middle
- 25
- Undergraduates
- 1,527
- Part-time students
- 0%
- Women
- 14%
- Students per teacher
- 9
- Completion rate
- 76%
- Retention rate
- 81%
- Highest degree
- Bachelor's degree
- Programs
- 15
- Endowment
- $787.5M
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 233 of 5,094 US colleges and 6 of 127 in Virginia (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | VA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $17,113 | $19,081 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $21,046 | $16,364 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 71% | 80% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 76% | 52% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 81% | 73% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $22,996 | $20,000 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $63,545 | $36,582 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $77,369 | $42,837 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 84% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 91% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
15 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Relations and National Security StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 56 | $21,875 | $44,429 | $72,700 | $66,596 |
| EconomicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 50 | $22,150 | $46,046 | $76,296 | $82,686 |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 44 | $19,500 | $42,543 | $72,630 | $50,680 |
| Civil EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 42 | $25,750 | $61,547 | $76,991 | $86,517 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 34 | $19,250 | $44,163 | $75,059 | $50,706 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 27 | $21,250 | $43,797 | $71,547 | $57,214 |
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 19 | $19,971 | $47,837 | $76,909 | $92,135 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 18 | $26,000 | $58,225 | $94,397 | $107,009 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 18 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,590 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 16 | Withheld | $43,923 | $73,971 | $49,984 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $100,647 |
| PhysicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | $46,641 | Withheld | $76,786 |
| ChemistryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,120 |
| Applied MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | $74,740 | $91,532 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | - | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $92,374 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Lexington and Virginia on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Virginia
- Homes: Homes for sale in Virginia
Questions and answers
How much does Virginia Military Institute cost?
$17,113 a year is the average net price at Virginia Military Institute after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $21,046 for in-state students and $52,638 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $34,824. Families earning under $30,000 pay $12,697 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Virginia Military Institute?
71% of applicants are admitted to Virginia Military Institute. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,244 and the middle ACT score is 25. The median admission rate of colleges in Virginia is 80%.
How much do Virginia Military Institute graduates earn?
$77,369 a year is the median pay of former Virginia Military Institute students who work, 10 years after they started ($63,545 after 6 years). That ranks 233 of 5,094 US colleges and 6 of 127 in Virginia. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Civil Engineering (Bachelor's) at $61,547.
How much student debt do Virginia Military Institute graduates have?
$22,996 is the median federal student loan debt of Virginia Military Institute graduates, about $244 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 59% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Virginia Military Institute?
76% of first-time, full-time students at Virginia Military Institute finish within 6 years. 81% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Virginia Military Institute?
International Relations and National Security Studies (56 bachelor's graduates), Economics (50 bachelor's graduates), History (44 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 15 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.