Report: Virginia Tech Athletics Set to See Budget Increase of $47 Million for FY2026, $61 Million for FY2027

The budget is set to jump to $190 million for the 2026 fiscal year.

Sep. 20, 2025; Blacksburg, Va.; Virginia Tech running back P.J. Prioleau (20) runs the ball during the first quarter. | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech's Board of Visitors has now officially proposed their increase for their athletics budget, which is set to begin this fiscal year. The budget will grow by $47 million for the 2026 fiscal year.

Virginia Tech’s Board of Visitors officially proposes atheltics budget increase. It’s set to begin pending the current fiscal year. From the current $144 million, it is set to jump to $190, $204 million in fiscal year 2027, $207 million in FY 2028 and $212 million in FY 2029. https://t.co/OHhEVrI1DO pic.twitter.com/Pb6z5HCtha

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 22, 2025

That means that following the investment — $33.3 million of the investment is listed as "incremental operating" while the other $13.8 million is a one-time — Virginia Tech athletics would possess a $190.1 million budget. For the 2027 fiscal year, that increases to $204.3 million, with an additional $14.2 million coming in incremental operating.

The three key slides, including the funding plan breakdown between institutional support, student fee revenue ($100 increase per year), bridge funding (whatever that means), and philanthropy (sweet sweet donors). https://t.co/gbT0P9fIIZ pic.twitter.com/h7sKIB2fJT

— Doug Bowman (@DougBowman247) September 22, 2025

In the 2028 fiscal year, it jumps up to $207.3 and in 2029, to $212.1 million. One thing to note: the one-time dollars decrease each year with a slight drop-off from FY26 to FY27, then a noticeable decrease in the following two fiscal years.

The student fee revenue will also see a massive increase, meaning that Virginia Tech students will have to pay more in terms of athletic fees each semester. $3.3 million will be invested in FY27, $7.1 in FY28 and $10.9 in FY29, representing a total investment of $21.3 million.

Bridge funding will also see an increase, jumping from $6.3 million in FY26 up to $15.2 million in FY27, before settling down to $11.0 million and $7.1 million in FY28 and FY29, respectively.

Philanthropy remain the major funding source; $30 million each year from FY26 to FY29 will be invested.

If the move goes through, it would mark a significant boost for Virginia Tech athletics, particularly in football, a program that has been stuck in a cycle of inconsistency for nearly a decade. Since 2017, the Hokies have endured four losing seasons, with only one campaign finishing more than a single game above .500. That came back in 2019, when Tech went 8-5 in Justin Fuente’s penultimate winning season.

The last time the program reached double-digit victories was 2016, Fuente’s debut year, which now feels like a distant memory. Since then, Virginia Tech has struggled to maintain the standard once set under legendary coach Frank Beamer, drifting further from the national stage that it occupied in the late 1990s and early 2000s. For a fan base accustomed to bowl trips and ACC title contention, the extended drought highlights just how much this fresh investment is necessary to restore the Hokies’ competitive edge.

The proposed budget increase would vault Virginia Tech into the upper echelon of the ACC’s financial landscape. Based on current projections, the Hokies would rank among the top three athletic department operating budgets in the conference. The No. 1 spot is occupied by a private institution — likely Notre Dame, which does not disclose official numbers but is widely assumed to lead the pack.

Board of Visitors Presentation - 8.18.2025

In FY2026, Tech’s budget would position the school neck-and-neck with Clemson, a program that has long set the standard for the ACC in football with nine ACC titles in the past 15 years. By FY27 through FY29, however, the Hokies’ operating budget is projected to surpass the Tigers, establishing Virginia Tech as the second-largest spender in the ACC.