Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly known as Virginia Tech, is a public land-grant research university located in Blacksburg, Virginia. Founded in 1872, it is one of the Commonwealth’s largest public universities and operates additional educational and research facilities across the state and internationally. The university offers a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs, with particular strength in engineering, agriculture, architecture, business, and the sciences. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is also home to a Corps of Cadets and is designated as a senior military college. Students are often drawn to its combination of research activity, technical programs, and campus traditions rooted in its land-grant mission.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University was founded in 1872 as the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College, established under the Morrill Act of 1862 as Virginia’s land-grant institution. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, the college opened on the site of the former Preston and Olin Institute and emphasized agriculture, mechanical arts, and military training. Under its first president, Charles Landon Carter Minor, the institution began developing a structured academic program. In 1896, the name changed to Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute, reflecting expanded technical offerings. It became Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1944, and in 1970 the General Assembly granted university status, adopting the current legal name, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Over time, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University expanded its graduate programs, research enterprise, and statewide presence, evolving into a comprehensive public research university while maintaining its land-grant mission.