Fast Facts

At A Glance

The ninth oldest institution of higher education in America, Washington and Lee is composed of two undergraduate divisions, the College and the Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics; and a graduate School of Law. Offering 36 undergraduate majors and 37 minors, including a number of interdisciplinary programs, the university prides itself on the depth and breadth of our curriculum, in which traditional liberal arts courses are augmented by offerings from the only fully-accredited business school and fully-accredited journalism program among the nation's top-tier liberal arts colleges.

By The Numbers

  • Founded in 1749 as Augusta Academy
  • The ninth-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States
  • School of Law founded in 1866
  • 1,860 undergraduates from 49 states and 55 countries of citizenship
  • 50% female and 50% male
  • 78% of students come from outside of Virginia
  • Middle 50% range for first year students on ACT Composite: 32-34 and SATR: 1380-1480
  • 75% of students live in on campus housing
  • 100+ active student clubs and organizations
  • 75% of students participate in service efforts/initiatives domestically or abroad
  • 75% of students participate in Greek life
  • 60% of students study abroad at one point in their undergraduate education in 45+ countries
  • 214 full time faculty members in undergraduate programs
  • 8:1 student-faculty ratio
  • 93% of faculty hold doctorates or terminal degrees
  • 100% of courses taught by faculty, not teaching assistants
  • Average class size is 15, with 22% of classes containing less than 10 students
  • Programs in two undergraduate divisions: the College and the Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics
  • Degrees in 36 majors and 37 minors offered
  • Coursework in 12 world languages
  • 15% of students double major
  • 15% of students minor
  • 24 varsity sports offered
  • 28% of students are varsity athletes
  • Division III member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference
  • Winner of the ODAC Commissioner's Cup for overall athletic excellence for 23 of the past 25 years
  • 92% four year graduation rate
  • 96% of graduates employed full time or in graduate school within nine months of graduation
  • On average, 90% of pre-med students are admitted to medical school
  • 93% of applicants who graduate from W&L accepted to law, medical, dental, veterinary, and other professional programs
  • 30,000+ alumni, with 79 chapters in 30+ states
  • 134 Fulbright Scholars
  • 33 National Science Foundation Fellowships
  • 45 NCAA Postgraduate Fellows
  • 16 Rhodes Scholars
  • 5 Beinecke Scholars