Virginia Tech's roots go back to 1851, when the Olin and Preston Institute opened in Blacksburg, Virginia. After closing during the American Civil War, it chartered as a college called the Preston and Olin Institute in 1869.

In 1872, Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College (VAMC) was established as a land-grant institute by the Commonwealth of Virginia on the site of the Preston and Olin Institute. The first 12 students were awarded non-degree diplomas in 1875, and the first Bachelor of Arts degrees were awarded in 1883. The first Bachelor of and Master of Science degrees were awarded in 1892. The first Doctorate of Philosophy degree was awarded in 1942.

In 1895, the university was renamed Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute (VAMC&PI), and in 1944 it became Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI). At this time, it merged with Radford College, which became the Women's Division of VPI, until the partnership disolved in 1964. Finally, the university became Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VPI&SU) in 1970. Nicknames and common acronyms over the years include VAMC, VAMC&PI, VPI, VA Tech, VT, Tech, VPI&SU, and Virginia Tech.

William Sydnor Adkisson (1857-1935) of Halifax, Virginia, graduated from Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1877. He later operated his own farm.

Katherine Sue Arrington (1940-2018) of Virginia earned a B.S. in education from Radford College in 1964, the last year the college served as the Women's Division of Virginia Polytechnic Institute. She later became a teacher.

Robert Edward Lee Aylor (1860-1939) of Virginia, graduated from Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1886 and served as an Instructor in Penmanship from 1883 through 1885. He later became a preacher.

John Poindexter Billingsley (1906-1993) of Virginia, graduated from Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute in 1931 with a degree in agricultural engineering. He later worked as an agricultural engineer.

William Mayo Brodie (1880-1932) studied mechnical engineering at Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute, earning a B.S. degree in 1901 and M.S. in 1902. He worked at the university as a librarian and 1st and 3rd Assistant Commandant of Cadets from 1901 through 1909. Brodie began teaching in the Department of Mathematics in 1902 and served as dept. head from 1924 until his death in 1932. He also served in various capacities in the Blacksburg Board of Trade, Y.M.C.A., Masons, and the VPI Alumni Association. The former Brodie Hall at the university and the Brodie Memorial Tower at Christ Episcopal Church in Blacksburg were named in his honor.

John M. Carrington of Halifax, Virginia, graduated from the School of Agriculture at Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1879. In his sophomore year, Carrington served as Color Corporal in the Corps of Cadets.

Calvert Lewis Estill (1893-1948) of Lewisburg, West Virginia, earned a B.A. degree from Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia. He served as an Instructor in English at Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute from 1916 until his resignation on November 22, 1917, when he joined the U.S. Army during World War I. He later worked for the West Virginia National Guard and in the newspaper industry.

Howard Rucker Keister, Sr. (1882-1958), a native of Giles County, Virginia, graduated from Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and State University in 1903 with a B. S. in applied chemistry. He later lived in Wheeling, West Virginia, and worked as an insurance agent.

Howard Rucker Keister, Jr. (1917-2007) earned a B. S. in architectural engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1942. He later worked as a commercial architect.

Harvey B. McDonald (1856-1923) graduated from the School of Agriculture and Mechanics at Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1877. He served as U.S. Postmaster for McDonald's Mill, operated a dry goods store in Blacksburg, and maintained a farm in Christiansburg.

Charles Preston Millard (1887-1978) received a B.S. in civil engineering from Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute in 1908. He worked for the Standard Tool & Manufacturing Co. in New Jersey before moving to Florida.

Hugh Chapman Minton (1890-1963) of Smithfield, Virginia, earned a B.S. in civil engineering from Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute in 1911. Minton was a career serviceman, fighting in the U.S. Army during both World War I and World War II, and rising to the rank of Brigadier General before retiring.

Thomas Jefferson Rowe, Jr. (1890-1967) of Hampton, Virginia, graduated from Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute in 1915 with both a B.S. and M.S. in agriculture. He served in World War I and worked for Swift & Company Fertilizer Works in Baltimore, Maryland.

George Carter Stone (1887-1975) of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, earned a B.S. in civil engineering from Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute in 1908. He later studied at Cornell University, and worked as an engineer and surveyor, until his retirement in 1932.

Pryor Lindsay Watts (1905-1945) of Virginia, graduated from Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute in 1929 with a degree in electrical engineering. He later worked as an electrical engineer.