I believe, and am biased, that Tech has the better program, but something must be said for UVA's reputation as a "public Ivey."  They may do more for your success after school.

Tech offers a 5-year Professional B.Arch program while UVA offers a 4-year pre-professional Bachelor's program.   I'm going to tell you what someone should've told me years ago: avoid at all cost the 4-year BS architectural program.

I agree with strings

As a fellow Virginian I say go to tech since they have a 5yr degree and their arch program is well known. Also VT has a NoVa campus too, if you happen to live in the 703 area. But ur right I never heard much about UVA's program but it's a 4 yr degree.

I know many  talented people who came out of the UVA program. Their undergrad program is very strong.

The major differences are the size of the schools, and the "4+2 vs 5 year" curriculum:  VT is a large interdisciplinary school with tons of resources, UVa is a smaller, more focused architecture school with really smart students.

They're both great schools - better than most "ranked" schools, IMO.

The advice above is good regarding the benefits of a 5-year degree, both in terms of reduced time in school, and lower total school expenses, when compared to a 4 yr degree + a 2 year master's degree, which would be your other path to earning a professional arch degree.

The only other factor that you may want to consider is whether you are 100% sure you will major in architecture. A lot can change over the next few years; after taking your intro architecture classes, you may find that you end up going in a different direction academically or just realize that architecture isn't for you. This may even happen after you complete the 4 or 5 yr program. In the event that you do decide to change fields or majors, I would think that the UVA "brand" might open a few more doors both in terms of job opportunities in other fields or if you were to apply to grad school in another field. I know VTech is a good school and is known in the architecture world, but UVA's national reputation is greater overall, which may have other benefits depending on the course your life takes after school.

I agree with sectionalhealing- it will come down to whether you are interested in breadth vs. depth. You aren't going to be shooting yourself in the foot by choosing one over the other.

In my brief time in DC (2007) and limited interactions with people, it seemed that there was more of a VT presence in A/E firms than UVA. This is by no means an absolution on job placement, just a minor data point for you.

It might help to flesh out some of your interests and constraints a bit further. Start thinking of answers to questions like:

Do you have a little more interest in one specific area of architecture that one school has  a bit more expertise in and the other does not?

What do most graduates of each program do after they leave the school, and is this in line with your interests?

Are financial considerations lopsided for one versus another?

Do you have a better social network at one that you lack elsewhere?

Does the environment of one campus appeal to you more?

If you go to a 4 year program and want to be licensed, are you open to further schooling (potentially elsewhere) to get a professional M.Arch?

All things equal, I would probably pick UVa:

1) I prefer close-knit, smaller schools because you have more personal time with faculty and resources.

2) if you switch majors/careers (which you most likely will!), UVa is a "better" overall school.  unfortunately, prestige matters in non-architectural professions! (ie. when you apply for an MBA at harvard business school)

Warning: UVa is a known feeder school for the ivy MArch programs - do NOT get sucked into a MArch program longer than 2 years.  For example, the GSD will most likely require 2.5-3 extra years for an MArch.   This is utter garbage, and definitely not worth the time and money.  Your successful Virginia Tech BArch friends will be laughing at your 3 extra years of tuition costs and lost income.

we had a number of uva grads in the 2-year m.arch at the university of michigan and literally every one was top notch (i'm a little biased as i'm married to a uva alum). i think because uva is a 4+2, their grads tend to be a bit more national, i.e. you will find uva grads all across the country while va tech tends to be a bit more regional (d.c./southeast). i also think because of the nature of 4+2, uva grads tend to go into fields other than architecture (the two year masters lends itself to exploration of tangents to conventional practice). based only on my observations of graduates of both programs, if you are 100% focused on becoming an architect, va tech makes the most sense; if you have some doubts, uva will open more doors.

UVa...plus CVille is an amazing small town to live in....

To adequately make this decision, do not compare the schools/programs against each other; instead, determine what criteria you will use to make this decision.  For example - reputation, location, cost, facilities, etc.

Once you have determined the criteria, compare each school against the criteria; which school/program meets the most of your criteria?  You have your choice!

Best.