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School data & stats
Outcomes
Cost
Community
Overview
Washington and Lee is a private liberal arts university in Lexington, Virginia, named for George Washington, an early benefactor, and Robert E. Lee, its postwar president. The colonnaded campus sits in the Shenandoah Valley directly adjoining the Virginia Military Institute, giving the small town an unusually strong historical and institutional character, with civilian and military-college life sharing the same streets. The university's history and naming remain part of ongoing campus conversation that prospective students should understand before enrolling.
Academics
The Williams School houses undergraduate business, accounting, and politics programs -- unusual for a liberal arts university to offer an accredited business degree at all, let alone one this respected. The journalism program is among the oldest in the country and pairs a hands-on, small-newsroom feel with the university's broader liberal arts core. The student-run honor system underpins take-home tests and an unusual level of unsupervised trust in coursework, and the speaking tradition emphasizes oral communication alongside writing across the curriculum.
Campus & student life
The 'speaking tradition,' where students greet everyone they pass on campus, is a genuine daily social custom here, not just an academic communication requirement. The quadrennial Mock Convention, in which the student body researches and stages an elaborate mock presidential nominating convention, is a signature W&L event with a long track record of accurately picking nominees. Greek life is a major part of social life, and the Fancy Dress Ball is a long-running formal dance tradition. A distinctive four-week spring term breaks from the standard two-semester calendar, often used for intensive single-subject courses, travel, or internships.
Getting in
Admissions is holistic and looks for students who will embrace the honor system's demands, historically enforced through a single sanction for violations. Greek life and campus community involvement are real parts of what applicants should weigh when considering fit, given how central both are to daily social life here.
After graduation
Graduates go on strongly into business, law, journalism and media, and finance, supported by a loyal alumni network typical of small Southern liberal arts institutions and especially well connected in the Mid-Atlantic and South. The Williams School's business and accounting programs feed directly into major accounting firms and banks, a more direct professional pipeline than most liberal arts colleges offer.
Worth knowing
The honor system's single sanction -- expulsion for any violation, historically -- carries more weight than many peer schools' honor codes. The four-week spring term and the Mock Convention tradition are both genuine departures from a conventional academic calendar worth planning around.
Admissions
Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)
Applying (2026-27 cycle)
Apply through Common App, Coalition (Scoir), or QuestBridge.
Early Decision I and II are binding commitments to enroll if admitted, while Regular Decision carries no such commitment.
Interviews: Interviews are not required but are strongly recommended; a student may complete only one, in any of four formats (on-campus, virtual, alumni, or international/InitialView), with all interviews valued equally in the admissions process.
Supplemental essays (10)
Why W&L?
There are over 8,200 accredited colleges and universities in the U.S. alone. You have chosen to apply to Washington and Lee University. Please describe how you have familiarized yourself with W&L and what aspects of its community are most exciting to you.
Short Answer – Option 1
Please describe an aspect of your life outside of school that is important to you, such as an extracurricular activity, a job, or a family responsibility. How has your involvement shaped your personal qualities and growth, and how has it impacted those around you?
Short Answer – Option 2
W&L's mission statement focuses on preparing graduates for lifelong learning in a global and diverse society. Engaging with faculty, staff, and classmates with diverse identities, experiences, and perspectives is an essential component of our education. Recognizing that diversity takes many forms, what diverse aspect would you bring to W&L?
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