10-yr median earnings
$77,369
Federal aid recipients only
Public · Lexington, Virginia
Virginia Military Institute
Virginia Military Institute is a public institution in Lexington, Virginia. as a public institution, published Scorecard outcomes are the federal Title-IV cohort view of former students — not every graduate and not a guarantee for any one enrollee.
- $17,113
- Avg net price / yr
- $77,369
- 10-yr median earnings
- 78.9%
- 150%-time completion
- 71.3%
- Acceptance rate
The verdict
Virginia Military Institute pairs top-5% former-student earnings with a moderately open admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 5%
- former-student earnings, US
- 71.3%
- acceptance rate
- 78.9%
- 150%-time completion
- +22%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
Town: Distant
Carnegie: Bacc: A&S
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Virginia Military Institute profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
B
College Value Score
71/100
Virginia Military Institute
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings A+
$77,369
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price C-
$17,113
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate A-
78.9%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$22,996
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A+
89.1%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention C+
81.0%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$17,113
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
78.9%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 78.9%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Virginia Military Institute vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How Virginia Military Institute ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Virginia Military Institute: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$77,369 Top 5% higher than 95% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | Virginia Military Institute | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $77,369 | #233 of 5103 | 95th |
| Average net price | $17,113 | #2503 of 5020 | 50th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 78.9% | #782 of 4858 | 84th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,527 | #1738 of 5462 | 68th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
1,527
Undergraduate enrollment
71.3%
Acceptance rate
1,244
SAT average
78.9%
150%-time completion
$77,369
10-yr median earnings
81.0%
First-year retention
How Virginia Military Institute ranks in Virginia
State rank among 125 reporting Virginia colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Virginia Military Institute | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $77,369 | #6 of 125 | 95th |
| Average net price | $17,113 | #45 of 107 | 58th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 78.9% | #12 of 102 | 88th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,527 | #41 of 126 | 67th |
Highest former-student earnings in Virginia
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington and Lee University | $94,810 | $23,781 |
| 2 | Chamberlain University-Virginia | $92,405 | $33,199 |
| 3 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | $86,863 | $21,565 |
| 4 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | $81,698 | $24,953 |
| 5 | Sentara College of Health Sciences | $77,821 | - |
| 6 | Virginia Military InstituteThis school | $77,369 | $17,113 |
| 7 | Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing | $77,014 | - |
| 8 | George Mason University | $76,343 | $17,915 |
| 9 | University of Richmond | $76,178 | $31,309 |
| 10 | William & Mary | $73,490 | $19,096 |
| 11 | Southside College of Health Sciences | $71,380 | - |
| 12 | James Madison University | $69,954 | $23,322 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 71.3% |
| SAT Average | 1,244 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 500 – 640 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 550 – 630 |
| ACT Average | 25 |
| ACT (25th-75th) | 24 – 31 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Virginia Military Institute
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$12,697 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k $9,246
$30k – $48k
$9,246 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$12,162 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$23,434 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Virginia Military Institute - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $21,046 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $52,638 |
| Average Net Price | $17,113 |
16.5%
Pell Grant Rate
59.5%
Federal Loan Rate
$22,996
Median Debt
$244/mo
Monthly Payment
2013–2023: what Virginia Military Institute costs has stayed close to flat
Average net price moved +5.9% over 10 years, from $17,802 to $18,849 in nominal dollars. The median college measured over the same span moved +14.6%.
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $17,8022023 · $18,849
Over the same years, enrollment went -6.9% (1,675 → 1,560 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
14.3%
Female
15.2%
First Generation
Outcomes
81.0%
Retention Rate
$63,545
Median Earnings (6yr)
77.7%
Earning Over $25K
89.1%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 78.9% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 81.0% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $63,545 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $77,369 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 77.7% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 89.1% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $22,996 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $244/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Top programs at Virginia Military Institute by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Computer Science
Computer Science
$94,397 median earnings
- Civil Engineering
Civil Engineering
$76,991 median earnings
- Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
$76,909 median earnings
- Economics
Economics
$76,296 median earnings
- Psychology, General
Psychology, General
$75,059 median earnings
- Applied Mathematics
Applied Mathematics
$74,740 median earnings
- Linguistic, Comparative, a…
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services
$73,971 median earnings
- International Relations an…
International Relations and National Security Studies
$72,700 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
| Program | Credential | Completers | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | Bachelor's | 24 | $94,397 | $26,000 |
| Civil Engineering | Bachelor's | 57 | $76,991 | $25,750 |
| Mechanical Engineering | Bachelor's | 30 | $76,909 | $19,971 |
| Economics | Bachelor's | 43 | $76,296 | $22,150 |
| Psychology, General | Bachelor's | 39 | $75,059 | $19,250 |
| Applied Mathematics | Bachelor's | 16 | $74,740 | - |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | Bachelor's | 20 | $73,971 | - |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | Bachelor's | 45 | $72,700 | $21,875 |
| History | Bachelor's | 34 | $72,630 | $19,500 |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's | 31 | $71,547 | $21,250 |
| English Language and Literature, General | Bachelor's | 22 | - | - |
| Physics | Bachelor's | 7 | - | - |
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Matches use Scorecard measures among reporting colleges — not state-system recommendations or geographic proximity.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Public institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
St. Mary's College of Maryland
St. Mary's City, MD
1,603 students · 76 apart
University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg
Greensburg, PA
1,305 students · 222 apart
Charter Oak State College
New Britain, CT
1,821 students · 294 apart
University of Virginia's College at Wise
Wise, VA
1,101 students · 426 apart
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Public institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Similar 2013–2023 Net-Price Trend
Same-sector institutions with the same direction and nearest fitted annual change; only series with R² of at least 0.40 qualify.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Virginia Military Institute? ▼
Virginia Military Institute is a public institution in Lexington, Virginia. The acceptance rate is 71.3%. The average SAT score is 1,244. Undergraduate enrollment is 1,527 students.
How much do Virginia Military Institute former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Virginia Military Institute who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $77,369 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $63,545.
How much does Virginia Military Institute cost? ▼
The average net price at Virginia Military Institute is $17,113. In-state tuition is $21,046 and out-of-state tuition is $52,638. Median student debt at graduation is $22,996.
What is the graduation rate at Virginia Military Institute? ▼
Virginia Military Institute has a 78.9% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 81.0%.
Is Virginia Military Institute worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Virginia Military Institute is $22,996, while former students earn a median of $77,369 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 30% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 89.1% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $244.
Sources & methodology
Public-college profiles lean on IPEDS enrollment and Scorecard Title-IV outcomes. State appropriations are outside this page; the figures below are the federal cohort measures only.
Every number is read live from the Mar–Jul 2026 Scorecard/IPEDS retrievals. Public institutions often enroll large Title-IV cohorts, so medians can be stable — still cohort averages, never a personal forecast. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from Virginia Military Institute
- Compare Virginia Military Institute against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in Virginia side by side.Browse Virginia
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Public-college Scorecard figures are historical Title-IV cohort averages — confirm current tuition, aid, and admissions rules with the institution before deciding.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Public-institution profiles compile Scorecard Title-IV earnings, IPEDS enrollment/admissions, and Treasury linkage fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.