How to Apply for the Economics Major at Virginia Tech: Economics Sits in the College of Science, You Apply Directly to the Major, and It Offers Business, Data Science and Policy Options, With Admission and Prerequisite Requirements for US Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

At Virginia Tech, undergraduate economics is taught by the Department of Economics in the College of Science on the Blacksburg campus. Here is what you need to know for fall 2027 entry, based on Virginia Tech’s official information, for US domestic students, international students (including Chinese applicants) and transfer students. Business (the Pamplin College of Business) has its own article and is not covered here.

1. Degrees and options

• Degree: the Department of Economics describes a B.A. program, but the university’s major page tags economics as a “Bachelor of Science”, and the catalog links on the same page use economics-ba. The two sources disagree; follow the catalog and your degree audit. The pages read do not describe any difference in math intensity between a BA and a BS, and do not mention a STEM designation.
• Options: you can complete the major without an option or choose one of three. Business is more structured and includes introductory accounting, finance, management and marketing, with business information technology courses used for the statistics requirement. Managerial Economics and Data Science (MEDS) is tailored to data science and consulting careers. Policy and Regulation is tailored to policy, non-profits, government agencies and professional graduate degrees such as law and public policy. Each option leaves 24-25 credit hours of free electives.
• Core requirements (the department says the exact courses depend on your catalog year): 6 credits of Principles of Economics (micro and macro); 6 credits of Economic Theory (micro and macro); 3 credits of Applied Econometrics; 3 credits of Statistical Methods; 15 credits of economics electives. Each option adds a 3-credit Diverse Perspectives course and 12 credits of restricted electives.
• Areas of focus: healthcare, environmental, labor and public economics; behavioral economics, game theory, neuroeconomics and experimental economics; forecasting, econometrics, big data economics and R; international economics, economics of China, Mideast economics, and growth and development.
• Other programmes: an accelerated 4+1 BA/MA (two degrees with one extra year); minors and second majors; and an 18-credit Economics Minor (ECON 2005, 2006, 3104, 3204 and two 3000/4000-level electives). Economics Fellows is a selective student leadership programme requiring a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher, with no more than 10 Fellows at a time. The pages read give no details of an honors programme.
• Research and experience: the university page describes a competitive summer research programme pairing undergraduates with faculty, internship-for-credit experiences, competitions such as the Fed Challenge and Econ Games, and overseas and study-away courses for credit.

2. How admission to economics works

• You apply to the university, not separately to the college: the university major page marks economics as available to first-year applicants, so you select economics on your application. Virginia Tech states that it reviews by the major requested (along with rigor, grades and trends, and test scores if submitted). The pages read do not mention a separate College of Science or economics admission line, or an economics acceptance rate.
• Changing into economics from another major: submit a Change of Major application in HokieSpa during the university’s change-of-major periods, after scheduling an “Explore Economics” meeting through Navigate. Dates are on the University Registrar’s page. The department’s page does not state a GPA threshold or space limit; ask the department or the registrar. Second majors and options can be added at any time with the College of Science form.
• For fall 2026 entry the university received more than 58,000 applications for about 7,200 places (a university-wide figure).

3. Prerequisites and the first two years

• High school units (fall 2027 applicants, 18 in total): English 4; math 3 (including algebra I and II); laboratory science 2 (biology, chemistry or physics); social science 2 (one must be history); 3 additional academic units (a foreign language is highly recommended); 4 electives. From fall 2028 the requirement becomes 2 units of one foreign language and 5 electives. The pages read set no higher math requirement for economics.
• First and second year: the catalog could not be read (it returned a verification page), so exact sequences are not given here. The department’s pages list Principles of Economics (ECON 2005 micro, ECON 2006 macro), micro and macro theory (ECON 3104 and 3204 on the minor page), applied econometrics and statistical methods. Calculus appears in the transfer roadmap: MATH 1225 (or 1025) is required for transfer applicants.
• Credit for exams: Virginia Tech’s international page says it awards college credit only for the German Abitur, A-levels, IB and AP, with the official result and a course syllabus sent to the registrar. The pages read do not say which course AP Micro/Macro, AP Calculus or IB Economics replaces; ask the registrar. Current students can take credit-by-exam for ECON 2005 and 2006 (3 credits each, $10 per credit hour, 70% to pass, no more than 12 credit hours from exams, one attempt).

4. Rounds, fees and materials

• Early Action: 15 November; materials due 1 December; decisions in late February.
• Regular Decision (space available): 15 January; materials due 24 January; decisions in mid-March; reply by 1 May. There is no Early Decision.
• Apply through the Common App. The application fee is $60 for domestic and $70 for international applicants; the enrolment deposit is $400.
• Recommendation letters are not required and are not considered if sent. Academic review uses the STARS self-reported record or transcripts. Test-optional: SAT/ACT are optional for first-year applicants entering through fall 2028, and not submitting does not affect the decision.
• The pages read do not describe an economics-specific essay; the “Ut Prosim Profile” personal statements are one review factor. Check the application page for details.

5. US domestic students

• In-state or out-of-state: residency is one of the factors the university lists in review, and in-state tuition requires a separate Virginia in-state tuition application. The pages read give no in-state cost estimate; check the university’s financial aid office.
• Testing: optional; the Writing section of the SAT or ACT is not reviewed.
• Costs: only the out-of-state on-campus estimate was read (see below).

6. International students (including Chinese applicants)

• English (non-native speakers, one test within two years): TOEFL 80 with no subsection below 16, or 4.5 with no subsection below 4.0 (both lines are marked for tests taken on or after 21 January 2026, without explaining which scale each belongs to); IELTS 6.5 with no sub-score below 6.5; PTE 59; Duolingo 115; Cambridge English 176; SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 550. Waiver: four years (grades 9-12) of English-only instruction without ESL courses in a listed English-speaking country, including Canada outside Quebec.
• Funds: F-1 and J-1 students must show sufficient funds for the first year before an I-20 or DS-2019 is issued. The international page does not describe scholarships for international students; ask admissions or financial aid.
• Testing: SAT/ACT is not required for international applicants.
• Chinese applicants: the education systems page asks students who have not graduated for transcripts for years 9, 10 and 11, and graduates for years 10, 11 and 12, with certified English translations; admitted students submit a final transcript covering years 10-12. The pages read do not say how Gaokao results are used, mention the Huikao, or give economics-specific rules for Chinese applicants; ask admissions.

7. Costs and scholarships

• 2026-27 out-of-state on-campus estimate (US$): tuition 36,428, fees 3,754, housing 10,394 and food 6,826, for direct costs of 57,402; total cost of attendance about 64,756, or about 66,906 for new students including the computer budget.
• College charge: the same estimate lists an additional US$1,000 for College of Science.
• The General Scholarship application and FAFSA deadline is 22 January, and the FAFSA priority date is 1 March (the date table refers to General Scholarship applicants). Eligibility for international students is not stated on the international page.

8. Transfer students

• Economics accepts transfers: the available-majors table lists economics for spring, summer and fall. Spring entry closes on 1 October with decisions in mid-November; summer/fall closes on 1 March with decisions in mid-April. You apply as a transfer student if you have attempted 12 or more college credits after high school (AP and dual-enrolment credits earned in high school do not count).
• College of Science economics roadmap (2026-2027): Required: MATH 1225 (or 1025; 1225 preferred). Strongly recommended: two semesters of a transferable lab science (astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology or physics), MATH 1226 (or 1026), ENGL 1105 and ENGL 1106. The roadmap states that completing these courses does not guarantee admission.
• Criteria: progress on prerequisites and college GPA. There is no minimum GPA, though most competitive applicants have 3.0 or higher. Transfer review does not consider high school grades or SAT/ACT, so students with one semester of college are usually not competitive. For fall 2028 and later, transfer applicants need two units of one foreign language (high school study can count).
• For international transfer applicants, English tests are due 15 March (fall) or 15 October (spring); 6 credits of transferable English composition with a C or better can also satisfy the requirement.

Checklist

US domestic students:

• Apply to economics through the Common App by 15 November (EA) or 15 January (RD); submit STARS and decide whether to send SAT/ACT
• Apply for in-state tuition if eligible; file the scholarship application and FAFSA by 22 January

International students (including Chinese applicants):

• Same deadlines; submit STARS or transcripts (with certified English translations) and an English test such as IELTS 6.5 (6.5 in each band), TOEFL 80 or Duolingo 115
• Prepare proof of funds for the first year; ask admissions how Gaokao results are used

Transfer students:

• Apply by 1 October (spring) or 1 March (summer/fall); aim for a 3.0+ GPA
• Complete MATH 1225 before transfer, ideally also MATH 1226 (or 1026), lab science, ENGL 1105 and ENGL 1106

Sources: Virginia Tech, Economics major; Department of Economics: majors and pathways; Department of Economics: adding economics as a major; Economics minor; Credit by exam for ECON 2005 and 2006; Economics Fellows; First-year admissions requirements; Dates and deadlines 2026-2027; Application policies (fees); FAQs (test-optional); International students; International requirements; International education systems; Transfer requirements; Available transfer majors; College of Science economics transfer roadmap (PDF); 2026-27 out-of-state on-campus cost of attendance (PDF). Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 figures). Check Virginia Tech for the latest details.