2. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, VA
John McCormick
- Estimated price 2016-17 without aid: $26,900
- Estimated price 2016-17 with average aid: $22,600
- Early career earnings: $55,300
- Average SAT/AVT score: 1220/NA
Virginia Polytechnic and State University, or Virginia Tech, is a leader in using technology to teach—and have fun. The campus Math Emporium is a former department store that houses hundreds of computers programmed with math tutoring lessons that have boosted students’ math success rates. Geography teacher John Boyer (who styles himself as “The Plaid Avenger”) is regularly voted among the top instructors at the school and made a name for himself by getting world leaders to hold discussions with his classes via Skype. Such programs are one reason the school has an unusually high graduation rate: 83%, which is 12% higher than the average for its peers.