How to Apply to Public Health at Virginia Tech: A CEPH-Accredited BSPH Housed in the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Reviewed by the Major You Request, with Pre-Medical and Pre-Veterinary Options, for U.S., International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

Virginia Tech (VT) has a bachelor’s major called Public Health, awarding the Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH), run by the Public Health Program. One correction to a common assumption: the university’s major page files it under the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, not the College of Science, and one of the program page’s reasons to study public health at VT is to “gain perspective in the College of Veterinary Medicine.” This guide covers only what the websites say; where they do not, it reads “not published” and tells you where to ask.

1. Degree and program

• Degree and accreditation: the major page says the BSPH is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH); public health is the science of protecting, promoting and improving the health of populations, and graduates are prepared for entry-level work in environmental health, public health education and epidemiology. The page also lists an 18-credit public health minor.
• Credit structure (the two VT pages differ): the university’s major page says the BSPH is 120 credits with 42 credits of public health core courses (with an emphasis on One Health) and 33 credits of free electives within the 120. The Public Health Program’s page says 42 credits are in the Pathways General Education program, 43 credits are in the major and the remaining 35 are electives, usable for prerequisites to pre-professional health programs, a double major, minors or study abroad. The core and elective counts do not match between the two pages; confirm with the course catalog and the program’s advisors (this guide did not open the catalog).
• Practicum: the program page says students are prepared through coursework and a required 80-hour practicum; the university major page does not mention the hours.
• Options: the program page lists the public health major, an 18-credit minor, the Pre-Veterinary Professions option (public health plus the prerequisite courses for veterinary medicine programs) and the Pre-Medical Professions option (public health plus prerequisites for programs such as medicine, dentistry, physician assistant and nursing). The courses for each option are in the university catalog and not on the pages read.
• Double major and change of major: the program page says public health can be paired with a related second major and welcomes VT undergraduates who want to change their major or add a second major in public health (book an Explore Public Health appointment at phadvising@vt.edu).
• Accelerated MPH: the page says VT undergraduates can apply to an Accelerated Master of Public Health, taking graduate courses in senior year and finishing the MPH in one more year. It is written for VT undergraduates; whether it is open to other applicants or to international students is not stated on the pages read.
• STEM designation: not stated on the pages read; not published.
• Other: the program page mentions a dedicated advising team and a network of mentors and peers, and emphasizes work with rural and Appalachian communities.

2. How you get into the major, and the bar

• Request it on the application: the first-year requirements page lists “major requested on your application as we review by major at Virginia Tech.” The university’s major page tags Public Health as available to first-year, fall transfer, spring transfer and summer transfer applicants.
• Minimum GPA, caps, prerequisites, separate application: none of the pages read gives Public Health its own cap, minimum GPA or separate application; not published. Email the advisors (phadvising@vt.edu); the program’s office is 262 Wallace Hall.
• Internal change: the program page welcomes VT students who want to change majors or add a second major; dates and requirements are on the Registrar’s page (not read).

3. Prerequisites and curriculum

• High school units for fall 2027 applicants (first-year requirements page): 18 units: 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 (foreign language highly recommended); 4 electives. For fall 2028 and later applicants the page lists English 4, math 3, laboratory science 2, social science 2, 2 units of a single foreign or classical language or ASL, and 5 electives.
• International page: 3 units of math (including algebra I and II), 2 units of laboratory science, plus additional academic units; the page says some majors have more rigorous requirements, such as an additional year of advanced math or lab science, and that most admitted students have at least a B+ grade point average. Whether Public Health is among the more rigorous majors is not published.
• College courses: the major page says only “42 credits of public health core courses” and does not list them; the catalog (catalog.vt.edu) was not opened. The program page links to the curriculum.
• AP/IB credit: the international requirements page says VT awards college credit only for the German Abitur, A Levels, IB and AP courses, with the official exam result and a course syllabus sent to the Registrar. Which scores earn which credits is not on the pages read.
• Computer: the international page says all entering students need a personal computer.

4. Rounds and deadlines (fall 2027 entry)

These dates come from the Dates & Deadlines page, which is titled 2026-2027; confirm they apply to fall 2027 entry. VT’s application page says applications for 2027 first-year and transfer admission are open.

• First-year: Early Action deadline November 15, materials (including STARS) December 1, notified late February, reply May 1; Regular Decision (marked “space available”) January 15, materials January 24, notified mid-March, reply May 1. The application opens August 1.
• Platform: Common App. Application fee: the pages read give no amount; not published, so check the application portal.
• Testing: test-optional (SAT/ACT) for students entering through fall 2028; the Writing section is not considered, and declining to send scores does not affect the decision.
• Recommendations: the page says letters of recommendation are not required or requested and, even if submitted, are not considered; circumstances can be shared in the Common App Additional Information prompt or in a counselor letter of circumstance.
• Transcripts: applicants who attended only U.S. high schools submit a STARS Record; those who attended high school outside the U.S. may submit a STARS Record or copies of transcripts (see the international section).
• Scale: the page says VT received more than 58,000 applications for approximately 7,200 spaces for fall 2026; this is university-wide.

5. Three kinds of applicants

U.S. applicants

• Apply through the Common App and submit grades through STARS; see section 4 for dates.
• Tuition and fees (2026-27, tuition and fees PDF, full-time 12+ credits, per semester): Virginia resident tuition $6,969.00 and total tuition and fees $8,543.50; non-Virginia resident tuition $18,213.50 and total tuition and fees $20,090.00. The PDF lists supplemental fees for Agriculture and Life Sciences, Architecture and Design, Engineering, Science and Pamplin Business; it lists none for the veterinary medicine college or Public Health. That is the PDF read; confirm with the Bursar.
• In-state preference: the pages read give no in-state admission preference or quota; not published.

International applicants

• How and when: Common App; early action November 15, regular decision January 15; transfer: spring October 1 and summer/fall March 1.
• Academic materials: a STARS Record, or copies of all secondary transcripts and exam results covering years 9–11 and current year 12/13 courses with predicted results. Academic materials are due December 1 (Early Action) or January 24 (Regular Decision); admitted students must submit final official transcripts that match. SAT/ACT are not required for international applicants.
• English proficiency (native language not English; at least one): TOEFL iBT (the Special Home Edition is accepted; “My Best” scores, TOEFL Essentials and TOEFL ITP Plus are not): for exams on or after January 21, 2026, the page lists two lines, “80 or higher with no subsection less than 16” and “4.5 or higher with no subsection less than 4.0,” without labelling in the text which scale each belongs to; IELTS 6.5 with no sub-score below 6.5; PTE 59; Duolingo 115; Cambridge 176; SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 550; ACT English 24; IGCSE/GCSE/GCE English A, B or C (or 6–9); IB English A Language and Literature 5. Scores must come from tests taken within two years, and English results are due by the same December 1 or January 24 dates.
• Exemption: four years of study (grades 9–12 or equivalent) in one of the listed English-speaking countries, with English as the only medium of instruction and no ESL courses.
• Language program: applicants who meet other requirements but not English are encouraged to enroll in VT’s Language and Culture Institute (VTLCI) until they reach the proficiency, then are offered admission as regular degree-seeking students.
• Proof of funds: F-1/J-1 students must show sufficient funds for the first year of study before an I-20 or DS-2019 is issued.
• Work and housing: on-campus employment is “extremely limited”; F-1/J-1 holders may not work off campus without authorization, which must be approved by the International Student Advisor and/or USCIS; first-year students must live on campus (unless over 21). Limits on the 80-hour public health practicum for international students are not stated on the pages read; ask the Cranwell International Center (international@vt.edu) and the program advisors.
• Costs (2026-27, estimated cost of attendance PDF, non-Virginia resident, undergraduate, on-campus): tuition $36,428, fees $3,754, housing $10,394, food $6,826; the PDF prints total direct costs of $57,402, total indirect costs of $7,354, a total cost of attendance of $64,756 and a freshman total (with a $2,150 computer budget) of $66,906. It also lists college additional fees: Agriculture and Biochemistry $750, Architecture, Arts, and Design $1,500, Building Construction $2,000, Engineering $2,000, Pamplin Business $2,550, Science $1,000, and none for veterinary medicine. The tuition PDF adds that degree-seeking students who receive immigration advising through the Cranwell International Center pay a $275 per-semester Immigration Services Fee.
• International scholarships: the international page links to a cost-and-aid page that this guide did not read, so international scholarship amounts and conditions are not published on the pages read; check that page.

Applicants from China (separate section)

• Whether the Gaokao is considered: the pages read do not mention it; not published. Ask the undergraduate admissions office.
• Transcripts and exit-exam materials: the “international education systems” page’s Chinese entry says first-year applicants from China must submit, with certified English translations at the point of application: transcripts of grades for years 9, 10 and 11 if not yet graduated; or the final senior secondary school transcript for years 10, 11 and 12 if graduated. Accepted students must submit a final senior secondary transcript including the results of years 10, 11 and 12 before classes begin. The page has no separate note on senior-high exit exams; not published.
• Any school note for Chinese applicants: none beyond the transcript rule above.
• English scores: see the international section; whether other tests common in China are accepted is not published.

6. Costs and scholarships, a note

Costs are in section 5. The college additional-fee list does not include the veterinary medicine college, where Public Health sits; international scholarship details are in section 5.

7. Transfer

• Who counts as a transfer student: anyone who has attempted 12 or more credit hours at any college or university after high school graduation, whether or not completed; dual enrollment, AP and other credits earned in high school do not count toward the 12. The page warns that recent high school graduates applying in their first college semester are not likely to be competitive.
• Prerequisites for Public Health (2026-2027 transfer roadmap): no “Required” courses; Strongly Recommended: MATH 1014, MATH 1025 (or higher), BIOL 1105+1115 (lab), BIOL 1106+1116 (lab), ENGL 1105, ENGL 1106, PSYC 1004, SOC 1004, PHS 2004; Recommended: PHS 1514, STAT 3005, HNFE 1004, COMM 2004. The roadmap states that completing them does not necessarily guarantee admission, since decisions come from holistic review; the program contact is Katie Cross.
• GPA: the international requirements page says competitive transfer applicants “will have mostly As and Bs” and gives no minimum GPA number; not published.
• Deadlines: spring transfer October 1 (materials October 9, notified mid-November, reply December 1); summer/fall transfer March 1 (materials March 11, notified mid-April, reply May 15/June 1).
• International transfer: submit transcripts from all universities attended; secondary school transcripts are not considered in the transfer review unless you seek advanced standing credit for exams such as IB or A levels. English: as above, with one extra route, 6 credit hours of transferable English composition equivalent to ENGL 1105 and 1106 with a grade of C or better; English reports are due March 15 for fall transfer and October 15 for spring transfer.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• Common App; early action November 15, regular decision January 15; testing optional; letters of recommendation not considered; reviewed by the major requested
• High school: 18 units for fall 2027 applicants (English 4, math 3 including algebra I and II, lab science 2, social science 2, other academic 3, electives 4)
• BSPH: CEPH-accredited; the program page says a required 80-hour practicum; the two pages give different credit counts; application fee not published

International applicants (including China):

• English: TOEFL (for exams on or after January 21, 2026 the page lists 80 with 16 per section and 4.5 with 4.0 per section), IELTS 6.5, PTE 59, Duolingo 115 and others, within two years; proof of funds before the I-20
• Applicants from China submit transcripts with certified English translations; the Gaokao and exit exams are not published
• 2026-27 non-Virginia resident on-campus estimate: $64,756 total, $66,906 for freshmen

Transfer students:

• 12+ attempted credits count as transfer; spring October 1, summer/fall March 1; Public Health roadmap has no required courses and strongly recommends math, two semesters of biology, English, psychology, sociology and PHS 2004

Sources: Virginia Tech, Major page: Public Health; Undergraduate Public Health Program page; First-year Admissions Requirements; Dates & Deadlines; International Student Admissions; International Admissions Requirements; International education systems and curriculums; Transfer Student Admissions; Transfer Roadmap: Public Health (PDF); 2026-27 Estimated Cost of Attendance, out-of-state on-campus (PDF); 2026-27 Tuition and Fees (PDF). Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27). The dates page is titled 2026-2027 and some pages print no year, so confirm everything applies to fall 2027 entry; check Virginia Tech’s website for the latest.