Higher-ed tech programs helped to lure Amazon
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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