Enrollments
The table below charts student-body enrollments from 1872 through 2009. Enrollment figures before 1968-69 indicate total enrollment (number of students attending at least part of an academic year), except 1944 (special), which indicates winter, spring, and summer under the accelerated war program. Beginning with the 1968-69 academic year, figures represent total fall enrollment (undergraduate and graduate, as well as cooperative education students) on the Blacksburg campus only. Beginning with 1980-81, the figures also include professional enrollment but no longer include cooperative education students unless they were enrolled in courses for credit. The figures for 1968-2009 indicate fall-quarter/semester enrollment only.
| 1872-73 | 132 |
| 1873-74 | 197 |
| 1874-75 | 222 |
| 1875-76 | 255 |
| 1876-77 | 224 |
| 1877-78 | 186 |
| 1878-79 | 160 |
| 1879-80 | 50 |
| 1880-81 | 78 |
| 1881-82 | 148 |
| 1882-83 | 163 |
| 1883-84 | 190 |
| 1884-85 | 132 |
| 1885-86 | 98 |
| 1886-87 | 110 |
| 1887-88 | 152 |
| 1888-89 | 127 |
| 1889-90 | 139 |
| 1890-91 | 150 |
| 1891-92 | 135 |
| 1892-93 | 177 |
| 1893-94 | 236 |
| 1894-95 | 325 |
| 1895-96 | 335 |
| 1896-97 | 336 |
| 1897-98 | 333 |
| 1898-99 | 303 |
| 1899-1900 | 343 |
| 1900-01 | 386 |
| 1901-02 | 472 |
| 1902-03 | 627 |
| 1903-04 | 727 |
| 1904-05 | 728 |
| 1905-06 | 619 |
| 1906-07 | 577 |
| 1907-08 | 546 |
| 1908-09 | 565 |
| 1909-10 | 509 |
| 1910-11 | 471 |
| 1911-12 | 463 |
| 1912-13 | 471 |
| 1913-14 | 527 |
| 1914-15 | 490 |
| 1915-16 | 505 |
| 1916-17 | 533 |
| 1917-18 | 519 |
| 1918-19 | 477 |
| 1919-20 | 757 |
| 1920-21 | 798 |
| 1921-22 | 975 |
| 1922-23 | 977 |
| 1923-24 | 1,110 |
| 1924-25 | 1,191 |
| 1925-26 | 1,205 |
| 1926-27 | 1,224 |
| 1927-28 | 1,300 |
| 1928-29 | 1,392 |
| 1929-30 | 1,495 |
| 1930-31 | 1,659 |
| 1931-32 | 1,810 |
| 1932-33 | 1,817 |
| 1933-34 | 1,561 |
| 1934-35 | 1,694 |
| 1935-36 | 1,836 |
| 1936-37 | 2,115 |
| 1937-38 | 2,376 |
| 1938-39 | 2,780 |
| 1939-40 | 3,119 |
| 1940-41 | 3,242 |
| 1941-42 | 3,382 |
| 1942-43 | 3,582 |
| 1943-44 | 1,559 |
| 1944 (special) | 982 |
| 1944-45 | 738 |
| 1945-46 | 2,331 |
| 1946-47 | 4,971 |
| 1947-48 | 5,458 |
| 1948-49 | 5,689 |
| 1949-50 | 4,857 |
| 1950-51 | 3,948 |
| 1951-52 | 3,259 |
| 1952-53 | 3,215 |
| 1953-54 | 3,322 |
| 1954-55 | 3,747 |
| 1955-56 | 4,420 |
| 1956-57 | 4,786 |
| 1957-58 | 5,138 |
| 1958-59 | 5,318 |
| 1959-60 | 5,496 |
| 1960-61 | 5,747 |
| 1961-62 | 5,827 |
| 1962-63 | 6,358 |
| 1963-64 | 6,555 |
| 1964-65 | 7,305 |
| 1965-66 | 7,711 |
| 1966-67 | 9,064 |
| 1967-68 | 10,254 |
| 1968-69 | 10,289 |
| 1969-70 | 11,028 |
| 1970-71 | 12,043 |
| 1971-72 | 13,282 |
| 1972-73 | 14,471 |
| 1973-74 | 16,367 |
| 1974-75 | 17,470 |
| 1975-76 | 18,477 |
| 1976-77 | 19,314 |
| 1977-78 | 19,648 |
| 1978-79 | 20,261 |
| 1979-80 | 20,780 |
| 1980-81 | 21,069 |
| 1981-82 | 21,584 |
| 1982-83 | 21,510 |
| 1983-84 | 21,357 |
| 1984-85 | 21,454 |
| 1985-86 | 22,044 |
| 1986-87 | 22,345 |
| 1987-88 | 24,988 |
| 1988-89 | 24,280 |
| 1989-90 | 24,926 |
| 1990-91 | 25,568 |
| 1991-92 | 26,257 |
| 1992-93 | 26,003 |
| 1993-94 | 26,030 |
| 1994-95 | 25,842 |
| 1995-96 | 25,492 |
| 1996-97 | 26,645 |
| 1997-98 | 27,208 |
| 1998-99 | 27,663 |
| 1999-2000 | 27,910 |
| 2000-01 | 27,869 |
| 2001-02 | 28,203 |
| 2002-03 | 28,027 |
| 2003-04 | 27,755 |
| 2004-05 | 27,619 |
| 2005-06 | 27,979 |
| 2006-07 | 28,470 |
| 2007-08 | 29,898 |
| 2008-09 | 30,739 |
| 2009-10 | 31,078 |
| 2010-11 | 31,519 |
| 2011-12 | 31,341 |
| 2012-13 | 31,653 |
| 2013-14 | 31,738 |
| 2014-15 | 31,910 |
| 2015-16 | 33,103 |
| 2016-17 | 33,556 |
| 2017-18 | 33,760 |