Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Admissions

The Virginia Military Institute is a selective school that accepts roughly half of applicants each year. See what makes it unique and what it takes to attend this college.

About VMI

Established in 1839, the Virginia Military Institute is the oldest public military college in the United States and one of the country's six Senior Military Colleges (with The Citadel, NGCSU, Norwich University, Texas A&M, and Virginia Tech). VMI is not for everyone, and students should be ready for a disciplined and demanding college environment (new cadets are called "Rats"). Unlike students at the U.S. military academies, students at the Virginia Military Institute are not required to serve in the armed forces after graduation.

VMI ranks highly among public undergraduate institutions, and the school's engineering programs are particularly strong. In athletics, most teams of the VMI Keydets compete in the NCAA Division I Southern Conference.

Will you get in if you apply? ​Calculate your chances of getting in with this free tool from Cappex.

Admissions Data (2017)

• Virginia Military Institute Acceptance Rate: 53 percent
• GPA, SAT and ACT graph for VMI
• Test Scores: 25th / 75th Percentile
  • SAT Critical Reading: 560 / 640
  • SAT Math: 540 / 640
    • What these SAT numbers mean
    • Southern Conference SAT score comparison
    • Top Virginia colleges SAT comparison
  • ACT Composite: 23 / 28
  • ACT English: 22 / 28
  • ACT Math: 23 / 27
    • What these ACT numbers mean
    • Southern Conference ACT score comparison
    • Top Virginia colleges ACT comparison

Enrollment (2017)

• Total Enrollment: 1,722 (all undergraduate)
• Gender Breakdown: 88 percent male / 12 percent female
• 100 percent Full-time

Costs (2017–18)

• Tuition and Fees: $18,214 (in-state); $43,902 (out-of-state)
• Books: $1,000 (why so much?)
• Room and Board: $9,236
• Other Expenses: $2,150
• Total Cost: $30,600 (in-state); $56,288 (out-of-state)

Virginia Military Institute Financial Aid (2016–17)

• Percentage of New Students Receiving Aid: 89 percent
• Percentage of New Students Receiving Types of Aid
  • Grants: 69 percent
  • Loans: 76 percent
• Average Amount of Aid
  • Grants: $14,434
  • Loans: $8,265

Academic Programs

• Most Popular Majors: Civil Engineering, Economics, History, International Relations, Mechanical Engineering, Psychology
• What major is right for you? Sign up to take the free "My Careers and Majors Quiz" at Cappex.

Graduation and Retention Rates

• First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 87 percent
• Transfer-out Rate: 20 percent
• 4-Year Graduation Rate: 63 percent
• 6-Year Graduation Rate: 77 percent

Intercollegiate Athletic Programs

• Men's Sports: Football, Lacrosse, Rifle, Soccer, Baseball, Basketball, Wrestling
• Women's Sports: Rifle, Water Polo, Swimming, Track and Field, Soccer

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Virginia Military Institute Mission Statement

mission statement from http://www.vmi.edu/about/

"It is the mission of those at Virginia Military Institute to develop educated, honorable men and women, prepared for the varied work of civil life, imbued with love of learning, confident in the functions and attitudes of leadership, possessing a high sense of public service, advocates of the American democracy and free enterprise system, and ready as citizen-soldiers to defend their country in time of national peril."

Data Source: National Center for Education Statistics