Public · College

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia · Small suburb

#4 graduation rate in Virginia
34.1%
Admit rate
$19,096
Avg net price
89%
Graduation rate
$73,490
Median earnings

William & Mary is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Williamsburg, Virginia (small suburb setting), enrolling 7,055 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 7,055 undergradsSmall suburbVery selective · 34% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Colonial Athletic AssociationCold wintersNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against William & Mary's admitted students.

Admit rate
34.1%
SAT (mid 50%)
1400–1530
Avg GPA
4.36

Enter a test score to see where you land against William & Mary's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and William & Mary's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Williamsburg, Virginia

Williamsburg is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. Before English settlers arrived at Jamestown to establish the Colony of Virginia in 1607, the area that would become Williamsburg formed part of the territory of the Powhatan Confederacy. Williamsburg is often associated with the larger American South. People who grew up in the Hampton Roads area have a unique Tidewater accent that differs from a stereotypical Southern accent. Vowels have a longer pronunciation than in a regular southern accent. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
37 miles to Norfolk, VA
To the ocean
3 miles
Nearest airport
15 miles to Newport News Williamsburg (PHF)

How William & Mary compares

Selectivity34.1%

More selective than 92% · #6 most selective of 43 in Virginia

SAT average1473

Higher than 94%

Graduation rate89%

Higher than 95% · #4 of 49 in Virginia

First-year retention95%

Higher than 92%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$73,490

Higher than 86% · #10 of 51 in Virginia

Average net price$19,096

Cheaper than 54% · #15 cheapest of 47 in Virginia

Median debt at graduation$18,500

Lower than 83%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment7,055

Larger than 83%

Percentiles compare William & Mary with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Virginia.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

9,810students
  • Undergraduate7,05572%
  • Graduate2,75528%

Undergraduates by gender

7,055undergrads
  • Women4,28461%
  • Men2,77139%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White62%
  • Black5.1%
  • Hispanic9.0%
  • Asian11%
  • Other or multiracial12%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
7,055
Graduate enrollment
2,755
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
12%
First-generation students
13%
Students over 25
1%
Median family income
$96,498
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$116,478
Endowment
$1,454,415,648

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 1,619 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Virginia60%
  • Other U.S. states37%
  • International3.5%

A regional draw: about 60% of first-years come from Virginia, the rest from elsewhere.

4% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
34.1%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1400–1530
SAT average
1473
SAT reading
710–760
SAT math
690–770
ACT composite
32–34
Average GPA
4.36weighted

Cost

In-state tuition
$25,914
Out-of-state tuition
$51,038
Room & board
$16,182
Books & supplies
$1,050
Total cost of attendance
$43,035
Average net price
$19,096

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
89%
Graduated on time (4 years)
84%
First-year retention
95%
Transferred to another college
7%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$62,959
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$73,490
Median debt at graduation
$18,500
Students with federal loans
22%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
80%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
84%
Low-income (Pell)
86%
First-generation
85%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
4,455
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
63%
Housing charge (year)
$8,785
Meal plan (year)
$5,770
Application fee
$75
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Colonial Athletic Association
Varsity athletes
679 (346 men · 333 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (12)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)226
Football105
Soccer62
Swimming58
Gymnastics41
Baseball40
Lacrosse38
Basketball30
Field Hockey24
Tennis19
Volleyball19
Golf17

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
41
Property offenses (2022–2024)
8

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 5 campuses (9,818 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

16reported offenses a year
14 violent a year2.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
9.0
Rape
4.3
Burglary
2.7
Statutory rape
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$3,106
$30–48k
$881
$48–75k
$5,916
$75–110k
$16,803
$110k+
$34,370

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$24,159

$5,916/year × about 4.1 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

38%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$17,871
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 38% — get grant money from William & Mary itself, averaging $17,871, which softens the sticker price.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,642 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$73,490
Typical debt at graduation
$18,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
25%
Out-earn a HS grad
74%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$69,507
Men
$84,213

Men out-earn women by $14,706 (21%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
88°F
Winter low
31°F
Annual rain
51.2″
Annual snow
4.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.05.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Williamsburg 2 N, VA US station (2.2 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to William & Mary

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare William & Mary side by side →

Colleges near William & Mary

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.