維吉尼亞理工學院暨州立大學

Virginia Tech is a university that continuously strives to offer students the best learning environment, and so there are always new developments being planned or enacted. This includes the construction of the new Innovation Campus, with the first buildings expected to be ready in Fall 2024.

The 2021/22 academic year is a major milestone for Virginia Tech, as it enters its 150^th anniversary celebrations. Various events will be held throughout the academic year that celebrates the history and heritage of the institution, the present experience offered to students, and the future of education at VT.

The university has returned to full face-to-face teaching for the new academic year following the COVID-19 pandemic. Rules around mask-wearing and other safety measures will vary throughout the year, with students being informed of any changes during their time at the university.

Virginia Tech's programs are consistently recognized for their quality and value. This is echoed by its high rankings across departments.

The university's global rankings include:

• Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings and U.S. News and World Report Best Global Universities rank Virginia Tech among the top 250 universities in the world.
• QS World University Rankings: Virginia Tech ranks in top 10 percent among 3,500 of the world's best universities.
• According to the National Science Foundation (NSF), Virginia Tech is among the top 50 U.S. universities in total research and development expenditures.

The university also has many individual study programs ranked highly by global bodies. In particular the College of Engineering is widely recognized for its excellence, with 11 subjects being ranked within the top 100 globally in their respective fields.

The AdvantageVT program is designed for international students who wish to enrol at Virginia Tech but are not yet ready to do a full course taught in English.

AdvantageVT combines intensive academic skills training and credit-bearing university coursework. Students can choose from a select range of undergraduate majors, and there is no SAT required for entry into the program. An English examination is not necessary upon completion.

Students who complete the AdvantageVT program will gain between 15 and 18 credits to carry into their course. The program lasts between one and three semesters, depending on the student's English proficiency when they begin.

Three entry dates are available each year – spring, summer and fall. On-campus housing is available and anyone who completes AdvantageVT is guaranteed entry onto their chosen undergraduate program.

International students who have already completed an undergraduate degree in another language can instead apply for the AdvantageVT-Master's program, which works in a similar way – students combine an entry program on their chosen Engineering, Business or Architecture graduate course with English and academic research learning.

Students who wish to apply to the AdvantageVT program must have graduated from an accredited secondary or high school with a B+ (88%) grade-point average. They must include at least three units of math, two units of laboratory science, as well as additional academic units – foreign languages are highly recommended. Some majors will have additional requirements.

The admission requirements for the AdvantageVT-Master's include an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution of higher learning, that should be closely related to the chosen graduate subject, and a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average, although some courses require a higher average.

For both options, students must be able to demonstrate a level of English proficiency with a IELTS 5.5 average or TOEFL iBT 60, or above.

International undergraduate applicants use either the Coalition Application or the Common Application. Deadlines and instructions are available on the undergraduate international student admissions website.

Applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate proficiency in English. Students can choose to do this through TOEFL, IELTS, PTE or Duolingo. Students will be asked to submit their scores to prove they are capable of understanding the course they will be taught.

International graduate applicants use the graduate school application website. Admission requirements for graduate study vary by department and major, and are detailed on department websites and in the Graduate Catalog. The following requirements generally apply:

• An undergraduate degree from an accredited institution of higher learning. In most cases, a closely related undergraduate degree is necessary.
• A minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) or above is required for consideration for admission into most majors. Some programs require higher GPAs.

If a student meets all criteria except for the English language proficiency, they are encouraged to enrol in the AdvantageVT (for undergraduates) or AdvantageVT-Master's (for postgraduate study) programs. These are entryway courses that combine coursework with intensive English language tuition.

Across the university's six campuses there are a range of academic, social and recreational facilities, all maintained to the highest standards.

On-campus housing: For student accommodation, Housing and Residence Life maintain 47 residence halls housing 9,300 students.

Dining: With 46 venues in 10 locations plus two food trucks, Virginia Tech's dining program is consistently ranked among the top in the U.S. in food, facilities, and services by national polls.

Arts: The Moss Arts Center is a thriving community where the arts are a catalyst for engagement, inspiration, and discovery. The 147,000-square-foot facility includes a 1,260-seat performance hall, visual arts galleries, amphitheater, four-story experimental Cube and multiple studios.

Student Center: For students to relax, the Squires Student Center offers two ballrooms, a 510-seat theatre, dining areas, activity rooms, an art gallery and lounges.

Recreation and Fitness: McComas Hall houses one of the gyms on campus as well as the main administrative and business offices for Recreational Sports. McComas Hall has nearly 100,000 square feet of recreation space.

Libraries: University Libraries consists of Newman Library branch libraries in geology, veterinary medicine, art and architecture, and the Northern Virginia Center and a storage facility constructed in 1995 near Blacksburg's Huckleberry Trail. These facilities house over 1.9 million printed volumes, 17,000 serial subscriptions, 5 million microforms, 130,000 audiovisual and machine-readable pieces, and 120,000 maps.

Student safety is of the upmost importance at Virginia Tech.

The university has its own professional, nationally accredited Police Department that operates 24 hours a day and provides full police service to the university community. The Police Department and Emergency Management teams work closely with the teams at Housing and Residence Life, the Counselling Center, Health Center and Dean of Students in order to protect and serve the student community successfully.

Students are encouraged to download the LiveSafe mobile app. This app has incredibly useful features, including:

• An explanation of what to do in an emergency.
• Navigational instructions for the Blacksburg campus.
• Virtual escort monitoring system.
• Ability to share reports of suspicious activity.

The university also has ''VT Alerts''. This is a notification system, so if an emergency happens on campus, alerts are sent out using several different types of delivery methods in order to get the word out to students.