Kiplinger’s Personal Finance names Virginia Tech to list of best values in public education for 2014
Virginia Tech is in the top third of schools recognized on Kiplinger’s Personal Finance 2014 list of the top 100 best values in public education.
Virginia Tech is ranked 27th this year and has been included on this list since the rankings began in 2006. Kiplinger’s stated Virginia Tech was included because of its “high four-year graduation rate, low average student debt at graduation, abundant financial aid, a low sticker price, and overall great value.”
Annual tuition and fees for undergraduate students remains low at $11,455 for in-state students and $27,211 for out-of-state students. Students can save additional tuition costs by enrolling in undergraduate courses offered during summer and winter session, which receive a 10 percent discount.
Virginia Tech expands its affordability to students through scholarships and financial aid. More than 77 percent of Virginia Tech students receive some type of financial aid. In the last academic year, the university awarded $423 million in aid to students. The average financial aid awarded to undergraduates in 2012-13 was $13,207.
“It is not a surprise to find Virginia Tech once again on Kiplinger’s list of best values,” said Wanda Hankins Dean, vice provost for enrollment and degree management. “Virginia Tech is committed to our land grant mission of creating opportunities and expanding access to higher education. The successes and achievements of our students and enthusiastic support of our alumni reflect the quality of the Virginia Tech experience.”
Funds for the Future is the university’s largest undergraduate financial aid program. It is designed to assist undergraduate students with financial need by mitigating all or a portion of increases in tuition and fees that may occur through the student’s course of study.
Undergraduate students with family incomes below $30,000 a year will not see any increases in tuition and fees during their four years at Virginia Tech. Families with incomes ranging from $30,000-100,000 receive varying levels of financial support to reduce the impact of tuition and fee increases.
Other programs that have been designed to offset the costs of college, achieve enrollment goals, and recognize academically talented students include:
- The Presidential Scholarship Initiative to assist low-income and first-generation Virginia students with significant financial need;
- The VT Scholars award to recruit academically talented students and advance university first-generation student enrollment goals;
- The Emerging Leaders Scholarship for participants in the Corps of Cadets; and
- The Presidential Campus Enrichment Grants serve students with need and who demonstrate merit. It attracts students from diverse cultural and educational backgrounds.
Prospective and current students interested in applying for scholarships and grants for 2014-15 can apply through the Scholarship Gateway. The deadline to apply is Feb. 15, 2014.
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.
