Washington and Lee University Overview

Located in Lexington, Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a private not-for-profit institution. Lexington is a good match for students who enjoy small-town life.

What Is Washington and Lee University Known For?

• Students at Washington and Lee may have an easier time interacting with their teachers since the student to faculty ratio at the school is 8 to 1.
• The student loan default rate at Washington and Lee is 1%, which is significantly lower than the national rate of 10.1%. That's great news for students who are worrying about paying off their student loans.
• The doctor's degree is the highest award offered at Washington and Lee.
• For the 2017-2018 academic year, 81% of the faculty were full-time.
• After graduation, Washington and Lee bachelor's degree recipients go on to jobs where they make $76,100 a year. That's about 87% more than their peers at other schools.
• On average, it takes about 4.1 years for students from Washington and Lee to earn a bachelor's degree. This is excellent when compared to the average of 4.4 years.

Washington and Lee University Rankings

We have ranked Washington and Lee as #39 out of 2,587 colleges and universities in the country in our 2022 Best Colleges list. This puts it in the top 5% of all schools in the nation. Washington and Lee also holds the #1 spot on the Best Colleges in Virginia ranking.

Our rankings are based on an outcomes-based approach rather than subjective ones used by other media outlets. As such, we utilize data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the College Scorecard, among other sources. Visit our rankings and methodology section to learn more.

Washington and Lee has also been awarded the following overall awards by our latest rankings.

Rank	Ranking Name	Share
#15	Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It

Program Level Awards

These are highlights of some of the most noteworthy awards granted to specific programs at Washington and Lee.

Rank	Ranking Name	Share
#1	Best Foreign Languages & Linguistics Bachelor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#1	Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#1	Best Germanic Languages Bachelor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#1	Best Classical Languages & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#1	Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#1	Best Sociology & Anthropology Bachelor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#11	Best Business, Management & Marketing Bachelor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#20	Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#23	Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#26	Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It

Awards From Around the Web

The following table lists some notable awards Washington and Lee has earned from around the web.

Rank	Ranking Name	Source
#1	Best Foreign Languages & Linguistics Schools	College Factual
#3	Best Communication & Journalism Schools	College Factual
#18	Best Business Schools	Business Degree Central
#28	Best Social Sciences Schools	College Factual
#29	Best Business, Management & Marketing Schools	College Factual
#30	Best English Language & Literature Schools	College Factual

Where Is Washington and Lee University?

Contact details for Washington and Lee are given below.

	Contact Details
Address:	204 West Washington Street, Lexington, VA 24450-2116
Phone:	540-458-8400
Facebook:	http://facebook.com/washingtonandlee
Twitter:	http://twitter.com/wlulex

How Do I Get Into Washington and Lee?

You can apply to Washington and Lee online at: www.wlu.edu/admissions/applying/

Admission Requirements for Washington and Lee

Submission	Required?
High School GPA	recommended
High School Rank	recommended
High School Transcript	required
College Prep Program	required
Recommendations	required
SAT or ACT Scores	required
TOEFL	recommended

How Hard Is It To Get Into Washington and Lee?

If you plan to apply to Washington and Lee, make sure you don't wait until the last minute to fill out your application. The school is one of the most selective in the United States and has a low acceptance rate of 25%. If you are admitted, that's something to brag about!

Approximately 48% of accepted students are men and 52% are women. The acceptance rate for men is 24%, and the acceptance rate for women is 25%.

Average Test Scores

About 52% of students accepted to Washington and Lee submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 670 and 740. Math scores were between 680 and 760.

Washington and Lee received ACT scores from 48% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT English scores ranged between 33 and 35. Math scores were between 29 and 32. Composite scores were between 32 and 34.

Can I Afford Washington and Lee University?

The overall average net price of Washington and Lee is $51,435. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group.

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid.

Student Loan Debt

Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At Washington and Lee, approximately 19% of students took out student loans averaging $8,923 a year. That adds up to $35,692 over four years for those students.

The student loan default rate at Washington and Lee is 0.8%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you'll be able to pay back your student loans.

Washington and Lee University Undergraduate Student Diversity

There are 1,822 undergraduate students at Washington and Lee, with 1,821 being full-time and 1 being part-time.

There are also 361 graduate students at the school.

Gender Diversity

Of the 1,821 full-time undergraduates at Washington and Lee, 49% are male and 51% are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

The racial-ethnic breakdown of Washington and Lee University students is as follows.

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	68
Black or African American	62
Hispanic or Latino	117
White	1,408
International Students	78
Other Races/Ethnicities	88

Geographic Diversity

Virginia students aren't the only ones who study at Washington and Lee University. At this time, 38 states are represented by the student population at the school.

Over 35 countries are represented at Washington and Lee. The most popular countries sending students to the school are China, Vietnam, and South Korea.

Online Learning at Washington and Lee University

Washington and Lee University Undergraduate Concentrations

The table below shows the number of awards for each concentration.

Major	Bachelor’s	Doctor’s	TOTAL
Law	0	154	154
Business Administration & Management	95	0	95
Accounting	61	0	61
Economics	56	0	56
Political Science & Government	53	0	53
History	28	0	28
Mathematics	23	0	23
General Biology	22	0	22
General English Literature	22	0	22
Public Relations & Advertising	21	0	21
Child Development & Psychology	20	0	20
Romance Languages	19	0	19
Neurobiology & Neurosciences	18	0	18
Computer Science	17	0	17
Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology	12	0	12
General Engineering	11	0	11
Geological & Earth Sciences	11	0	11
Germanic Languages	10	0	10
Natural Resources Conservation	10	0	10
Engineering Science	8	0	8
Sociology & Anthropology	8	0	8
Fine & Studio Arts	8	0	8
Journalism	7	0	7
East Asian Languages	7	0	7
Chemistry	5	0	5
Classical Languages & Literature	4	0	4
Philosophy	4	0	4
Physics	4	0	4
Drama & Theater Arts	4	0	4
Religious Studies	3	0	3
Music	3	0	3
Area Studies	0	0	0
Medieval Studies	0	0	0
Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies	0	0	0
TOTAL	574	154	728

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• Image Credit: By User:BlueGold73 under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.