Washington and Lee University
Lexington, Virginia
- Private nonprofit
- Town
- 1,881 undergrads
- Admit rate
- 14%Source: College Scorecard
- Average net price
- $25,279per year, after grantsSource: College Scorecard
- Graduation rate
- 95%within 6 yearsSource: College Scorecard
- Median earnings
- $102,96610 years after startingSource: College Scorecard
What's special
Johnson Scholarships cover tuition, fees, housing and food, plus $10,000 for a summer experience.
Source: The Johnson Scholarship | Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee requires undergraduate students to live on campus for their first three years.
Undergraduates enroll in an intensive four-week Spring Term, taking a single three- or four-credit class.
Source: Spring Registration Specifics - Washington and Lee University
Getting in
- Admit rate
- 14%About 1 in 10 applicants get in.Source: College Scorecard
- Test policy
- Test-optionalScores are considered if you send them, but not required.Source: College Scorecard
- SAT (middle 50%)
- 1430–1540Reading + math, enrolled first-years who sent scoresSource: College Scorecard
- ACT (middle 50%)
- 33–34Composite, enrolled first-years who sent scoresSource: College Scorecard
From Washington and Lee University's own report
These numbers come from the school's Common Data Set, a standard report colleges publish about their applicants and first-year students. Open the report.
- Admit rate in this report
- 14%1,214 admitted of 8,963 first-year applicants
- Early decision admit rate
- 28%289 admitted of 1,048. Early decision is binding: you commit to attend if admitted.
- Off the wait list
- 0%2 admitted of 604 who stayed on the wait list (1,274 were offered a spot)
- SAT, middle 50%
- 1430–153030% of first-years sent SAT scores
- ACT, middle 50%
- 33–3422% of first-years sent ACT scores
- Top 10% of their class
- 85%99% were in the top quarter.
Early applicants often include recruited athletes and students who knew this was their first choice, so a higher early rate doesn't mean applying early raises any one student's odds by that much.
What the admissions office says it weighs
Very important
- How challenging your classes were
- Recommendations
- Activities
- Character and personal qualities
Considered
- GPA
- Class rank
- Test scores
- Essay
- Interview
- A talent or ability
- Being first in your family to go to college
- Family who went there (legacy)
- Where you live
- Living in the state
- Volunteer work
- Work experience
- Showing interest in the school
Not considered
- Religious affiliation
Where you'd stand
Enter your numbers to see where they'd fall among Washington and Lee University's first-year students. This isn't a prediction: it shows how you compare with students who enrolled, using the sources linked below.
Leave out anything you don't have. Your numbers stay in this browser and fill in on other school pages. See my list
Sources: Washington and Lee University Common Data Set. Test ranges describe enrolled students who sent scores.
What it really costs
Most families pay less than the sticker price. Net price is what's left after grants and scholarships.
- Average net price
- $25,279full-time first-years who got grant aidSource: College Scorecard
- Total cost of attendance
- $91,700sticker price incl. housing, per yearSource: College Scorecard
- Tuition
- $71,365Source: College Scorecard
After you enroll
- Graduation rate
- 95%first-time, full-time students finishing within 6 yearsSource: College Scorecard
- Came back for year two
- 97%full-time first-year studentsSource: College Scorecard
- Median earnings
- $102,96610 years after starting, for students who got federal aidSource: College Scorecard
- Median debt at graduation
- $17,500federal loans, students who finishedSource: College Scorecard
Students
- Undergraduates
- 1,881Source: College Scorecard
- Receive Pell grants
- 14%a sign of economic diversitySource: College Scorecard
- First-generation students
- Not reportedparents didn't go beyond high schoolSource: College Scorecard
Similar schools
Similar, and easier to get into
- Randolph-Macon College Ashland, VA — admits 87%
- Roanoke College Salem, VA — admits 83%
- Shenandoah University Winchester, VA — admits 77%
- Rhodes College Memphis, TN — admits 50%
Also worth a look
- Hamilton College Clinton, NY — admits 14%
- Carleton College Northfield, MN — admits 20%
- Bates College Lewiston, ME — admits 13%
- Wellesley College Wellesley, MA — admits 14%
- Claremont McKenna College Claremont, CA — admits 10%
- Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO — admits 18%
Where these numbers come from
Every number on this page comes from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard page for Washington and Lee University, which draws on what the school reports to the federal government and on federal student aid and tax records. We last pulled the data on November 4, 2026. Different measures cover different years; here's how each one works.
Spot something wrong? Report a data error.