Giving
Support computer science
A gift to the Department of Computer Science does more than support a program. It powers opportunity, fuels innovation, and helps students turn potential into impact.
Annual fund gifts: Flexible support, immediate impact
Contributions to the annual fund allow the department to respond to urgent student needs and emerging opportunities. These gifts go to work right away, helping us prepare students for a dynamic technology workforce.
Your support helps us provide:
- Tools for learning, including shared AI computing resources
- Undergraduate research opportunities
- Professional development and career readiness programming
- Meaningful engagement with industry partners
- Student success initiatives that remove barriers to participation
When you give to the annual fund, you help students gain not just knowledge, but the experience and confidence to thrive.
Opening doors to undergraduate computer science education
Scholarships reduce the fundamental cost of attendance — tuition, housing, meals, and essential expenses — allowing students to focus on learning and fully engage in university life.
Give to undergraduate scholarships
Scholarships help students:
- Stay on track toward graduation
- Participate in internships, research, and study abroad
- Navigate unexpected financial challenges
- Fully engage in the Virginia Tech experience
Your scholarship support can help us deliver on the promise of Virginia Tech Advantage, a multi-year, university-wide commitment to ensuring Virginia students with financial need can participate in research, internships, study abroad, and other transformational experiences. Funding for scholarships supports our land-grant mission and embodies our motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve).
Beyond tuition: Experiences that shape careers
Scholarships are essential, but they are only the starting point. Career readiness grows when classroom learning meets real-world experience.
The Barbara Ryder Fund for Excellence in Computer Science supports the “extras” that often make the biggest difference:
- Presenting research at conferences
- Professional development and leadership programs
- Travel for academic competitions
- Study abroad and global learning experiences
- Community building and student success initiatives
These opportunities build confidence, networks, and professional identity, all the qualities that help students thrive as professionals in a fast-changing technology landscape.
Fueling discovery: Graduate fellowships
Graduate students are the engine of discovery in computer science. They conduct the research, build the systems, mentor undergraduates, and push the boundaries of what’s possible.
Graduate fellowships help us recruit and support exceptional Ph.D. students. That matters because: Great graduate students → attract great faculty → attract more outstanding students → expand global impact.
This virtuous cycle strengthens our research enterprise and advances Virginia Tech Global Distinction, the university’s commitment to world-changing research, scholarship, and creative activity.