Tech talent was a major draw for Amazon in selecting New York City and Northern Virginia for its new headquarters. Both locations have existing pools of skilled workers; both are places where talent wants to live. But the colleges and universities producing the pipeline of much of that talent were also a significant draw. Notably, New York City’s Cornell Tech campus is located directly across from Amazon’s future home in Long Island City, while Virginia Tech just announced it’s building a new billion-dollar Innovation Campus a couple of miles from Amazon’s new Arlington location.
Virginia Tech
Location: Blacksburg, Virginia
Established: 1872
Campus environment: Rural/college town
Type: Public, undergraduate and graduate
Annual graduate resident tuition: $15,510
Annual graduate nonresident tuition: $29,629
Total student body: 34,440
U.S. News ranking: #76 in national universities
Cornell Tech
Location: Roosevelt Island, New York
Established: 2012
Campus environment: Urban
Type: Private, graduate
Annual tuition: $54,584-$102,652 (depending on program)
Total student body: Approximately 300 in 2017
U.S. News ranking: N/A
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