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New Students Guide

Congratulations on your acceptance to Virginia Tech! We look forward to welcoming you to our community. This webpage is designed to provide you with a brief introduction to graduate life at Virginia Tech in the D.C. metro area.

Online Orientation

Graduate Students are strongly encouraged to complete this self-paced orientation in Canvas, the university's Learning Management System. In this orientation, you will learn important information and resources in the D.C. Metro Area.

Online Orientation

Cranwell International Center Orientation/Information Session 

Cranwell International Center Orientation/Information Session 

  • Date & Time: Friday, January 19 – 5:00pm to 6:00pm  
  • Location: Northern Virginia Campus – Falls Church, Room to be determined.  
  • Details: Learn about common concerns around your status, how to communicate with Cranwell through your student journey, and more.  
  • RSVP Recommended

CranwellConnect: A Visit to the National Museum of American History & Culture 

  • Date & Time: Saturday, January 20 – meet at front entrance at 2:00pm. 
  • Location: National Museum of American History and National Mall 
  • Details: We hope that international students who come to Virginia Tech have an opportunity to learn about life in the United States and engage in the cities they live. The DC area offers such rich opportunity.
  • RSVP Required by 5:00pm on January 17, 2024, for CIC to make a group reservation. If you miss this deadline, contact laurenoliver@vt.edu to see if joining is possible. 

Welcome Week Events

Warm Up to Graduate School

  • Date & Time: Tuesday, January 23, 2024 from 4:00-5:00 pm
  • Location: Northern Virginia Center, Room 200
  • Details: Join us during Welcome Week for the Warm Up to Graduate School workshop which will feature a panel of continuing graduate students, staff, and alumni discussing the key differences between undergraduate and graduate school.


    Enjoy cozy snacks and mix and mingle with new and continuing graduate students!

Welcome Back Mixer: Let the Games Begin!

  • Date & Time: Friday, January 19th 3:00-5:00 pm
  • Location: Northern Virginia Center, Community Cafe
  • Details: Join the Graduate School and the NVC Library for an afternoon of fun and games with new and continuing VT students. Light refreshments will be provided. 

Hokie One Stop

The Hokie One Stop serves as a multi-model servicing arm of Virginia Tech to promote academic success, provide convenient and centralized access to student business related services, enhance the student experience, and support learning and professional development for students in the greater Washington, D.C. metro area.  Information about student housing in the D.C. Area can be found on the Hokie One Stop website.

Getting Started As A New Student

  • Create your Personal Identifier (PID). A PID will give you access to Virginia Tech online services such as:
  • Contact your academic department for information about advising, funding, class registration, and orientation requirements. Program advisors for each department are listed at the bottom of this page.
  • Register for classes and pay tuition on Hokie SPA.
  • Keep track of important academic deadlines (exams, commencement, thesis or dissertation).
  • Login to OneCampus to setup your email, network, and 2-factor accounts.
  • Order your textbooks from the Online Bookstore.

International Students please also see the Orientation & Arrival page.

More information for new students can be found on the Graduate School website.

The NVC Library handles the processing of Hokie Passports. Students have to be currently enrolled and in our database for us to make the ID. 

NVC Library
7054 Haycock Road, Falls Church VA 22043 
Website: https://lib.vt.edu/about-us/libraries/nvc-resource-center.html
Email: nvclibrary@vt.edu
Phone: 703-538-8340

Parking is free on weekends at the NVC in the lower parking lot.   

During the week, parking at the NVC is managed through the ParkMobile app and is $3.30 per day. To save time, consider downloading the app and creating an account before your first visit. More information about parking can be found here: Parking at NVC

The Graduate School - D.C. metro area serves as a coordinating and governing body to all the Virginia Tech graduate programs and their students. Some of the services they provide include:

On-campus employment in the D.C. metro area is extremely limited. When we become aware of employment opportunities, they are posted in the D.C. Area Weekly newsletter or via Handshake.

Student employment on campus generally takes two forms:

  • Graduate Assistantships (GA, GTA, GRA) provide students with a stipend for living expenses, tuition, and an insurance subsidy if eligibility requirements are met.  Students may be expected to teach, grade homework assignments/exams, assist faculty with research, or provide administrative support to academic programs. Assistantships can be full-time (20 hours per week) or part-time (typically 10 or 5 hours per week), and the amount of financial assistance varies widely. For more information about GAs, visit the Graduate School’s page on this topic.
  • Wage employees receive hourly pay on a semi-monthly schedule from the university (based on the hours worked each week) but do not receive any additional benefits.

For international students, visa status affects the employment opportunities available. Please check with your immigration advisor for specific details. 

The greater Washington, D.C., area Graduate Student Assembly seeks to nurture graduate student community across departments by providing social events that foster inter-department, interdisciplinary conversation. The representatives liaise with the VT-GPSS (Graduate and Professional Student Senate) in Blacksburg to improve scholarly development and graduate community by creating and implementing goals based on the issues and concerns of graduate students across the university.

Website: https://www.nvc.vt.edu/dc-gsa.html

 

Current Students