Washington and Lee University
204 West Washington Street
Lexington, VA 24450-2116
Lexington is a charming community of approximately 15,000 located in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Directions to campus and the Admissions Office can be found on the directions page. More information on Lexington may be found on the Lexington Visitor's Center website.
Students must submit either the SAT or ACT with writing in addition to two, unrelated SAT IIs. Washington and Lee will consider the writing section of both the SAT and ACT.
All students must first submit Part I of the Washington and Lee Application. Users of the Washington and Lee Application may click here to begin online. Common Application users will have the ability to complete the W&L Part I online in late September. Users of both applications may click here to download Part I of the Washington and Lee Application in paper form. You may use either the W&L application or the Common Application. We accept both the paper application and online options. Be sure to look at our tips for applying on the Applying page.
Information for home-schooled applicants may be found here.
Once you have taken ample time to review the various colleges and universities that seem most likely to meet your needs and expectations, if W&L is clearly at the top of your list, we encourage you to consider our Early Decision application options. Washington and Lee's Early Decision program is binding. Should you apply Early Decision and be accepted, we expect you to withdraw all other applications and confirm your intention to enroll with a $500 reservation deposit.
Though the Admissions Committee's expectations regarding academic and personal credentials are essentially the same for Early Decision candidates as they are for Regular Decision candidates, in borderline cases a firm desire to attend W&L as evidenced by an Early Decision application will frequently be resolved in favor of the candidate. Approximately forty percent of each entering class at W&L is composed of Early Decision candidates, and the acceptance rate for students applying under this plan is higher than the regular decision acceptance rate.
If you are considering an Early Decision application to W&L but are concerned about the financial aid implications of such an application, you will be pleased to know that need-based financial aid packaging for students accepted under Early Decision is at least comparable, if not superior, to the financial aid awarded to regular decision applicants. Early Decision financial aid awards are made at a time when our yearly resources earmarked for financial assistance to new students are at the highest levels. Conversely, in certain past years, after expending all designated financial aid resources, the University has been unable to meet the demonstrated need of some of our regularly accepted candidates. Therefore, an Early Decision application for a financial aid candidate greatly enhances the probability that the full funding necessary to attend Washington and Lee will be awarded if admission is granted. The Office of Financial Aid is more than willing to field any questions before or after submitting an application (540-458-8715).
Again, we encourage you to think carefully about submitting an Early Decision application to Washington and Lee. Be certain to talk with your parents and your secondary school counselor about the implications of an Early Decision application, familiarize yourself with the procedures and deadlines, and make an informed choice regarding this important decision. Whatever you elect to do, we wish you the very best.
Tuition: $34,650
Fees: $395
Technology Fee: $200
Health Services Fee: $200
Room: Single: $4,240-$5,160
Double: $2,830-$3,440
Estimated Books/ Personal: $3,130
Approximately $47,187.50 for the 2007-2008 academic year.
Students who are US citizens or permanent residents, must submit the FAFSA and CSS/Profile forms. International applicants must submit the W&L Foreign Student Aid forms and the College Board International Student Aid forms. Please see our financial aid site for further details.
W&L has an undergraduate population of approximately 1,770. The Law School (our only graduate program) enrolls about 380 students.
Information concerning on-campus and off-campus interviews can be found on the visiting page. We schedule on-campus interviews from May of the junior year to December of the senior year. If you are unable to travel to Lexington for an on-campus interview, visit our Alumni Admissions Program page where you will find information for representatives who schedule local alumni interviews in nearly 90 different cities.
Sign up for our mailing list. If you are in need of specific information, email the admissions office. If you would like to schedule a visit, call us at 540-458-8710.
W&L offers 41 undergraduate majors. Over the last few years, Economics, History, Business Administration, Journalism, Biology, and English have been most popular. You will find that W&L, as a liberal arts college, is unique in offering a business school and a journalism program - we are the only top 20 liberal arts college with a fully-accredited business school and the only one with a fully-accredited journalism program.
Yes. As a liberal arts college, Washington and Lee provides students with both an in-depth understanding in the area of their major and a breadth of understanding in varied disciplines. Our Foundation and Distribution requirements in English Composition; Foreign Language; Literature; Fine Arts, History, Philosophy and Religion; Science and Mathematics; the Social Sciences; and Physical Education ensure that all W&L graduates achieve a broad-based liberal education.
All students are required to live on campus for their freshman and sophomore years. First-year students live in freshman residence halls and sophomores have the option of the upperclass residence hall, Gaines Hall; on-campus apartments at Woods Creek; the University-owned fraternity or sorority houses; or several theme houses, such as the Outing Club or International House. Juniors and Seniors can live on- or off-campus. Housing is guaranteed for all four years.
Information on our ROTC program may be found here.
The rigor of a student's program is heavily weighted in the admissions process. In fact, 96% of students in W&L's Class of 2011 pursued AP and/or IB classes. If students do well on these exams, they are considered for credit at Washington and Lee. Please see our Departmental AP Policy and IB Policy to find specific information on the exams we accept and credit we allot.
W&L students achieve great success after graduation. Twenty-five percent head directly on to graduate school. Among those entering the workforce, there is a 91% placement rate just six months following graduation. The largest employers of recent W&L graduates include PriceWaterhouseCoopers, JPMorgan & Chase Co., Teach for America, Ernst & Young and Merrill Lynch. Our Career Services office offers numerous resources for our students and graduates.
We offer varsity sports in 23 areas. Our Division III athletic program is exceptional - students participate in the competitive Old Dominion Athletic League while balancing academics and additional extracurricular activities. In addition, we have active intramural and club sports, including rugby, fencing, softball, and squash. Over three-quarters of W&L students are involved in athletics at some level. Learn more about W&L athletics here.
W&L offers its students a wealth of extracurricular and co-curricular opportunities. There are over 120 student organizations on campus, including groups committed to community service, music and drama, political action, publications, and cultural awareness. Please explore the Campus Life section for more details.
All campus dorm rooms are wired to the campus network. E-mail and internet access are available campus-wide. The majority of Washington and Lee's campus now offers wireless access as well. The University has a number of public computers available 24 hours a day. Most students bring personal computers to campus. While laptops are encouraged, we do not specify one computer that all students should bring to campus. More extensive information may be found here.
The academic year at W&L is divided into three segments: a 12-week fall term, 12-week winter term, and 6-week spring term. Our calendar allows us to teach specialized courses which are narrowly-designed in scope during the spring term. It also enhances study-abroad and internship opportunities. Each spring, a number of our professors lead study-abroad programs. We also offer a spring politics program in Washington, D.C. and global finance program in Manhattan - in each of these programs, students intern in individual offices while meeting for weekly classes and seminars.
The Honor System is the backbone of the W&L experience. All students pledge not to lie, cheat or steal. This system of behavior fosters a strong sense of trust and academic comfort. Student may schedule their own final exams and take tests unproctored. The library is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during the school year because of the Honor System. Responsibility for the Honor System is placed in the hands of the Executive Committee (EC), a student group which oversees all aspects of the Honor System.
Students may study abroad for a full year, one semester, the six-week spring term or summer. Opportunities range from faculty-led trips for the spring term to full-year independent study abroad experiences. Approximately half of our students study abroad during their four years at W&L. For more information on studying abroad, visit the Office of International Education. Where can I find information about campus safety?
Information regarding campus safety is available from our Public Safety office. Click here for an Adobe Acrobat version of the Cleary Act, a federally mandated document which details campus security at W&L.
With two semesters of 12 weeks each, W&L has something most other colleges don't have--a six-week spring term for students to immerse themselves in a single subject, gain valuable experience in internships or study abroad.