The College of William & Mary is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. It is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and the ninth oldest in the English-speaking world. It is classified among “R2: Doctoral Universities – High Research Activity”.
What is the College of William & Mary?
The College of William & Mary was founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II. It became a private university in 1776 until 1906, when it became a public university. The establishment of graduate programs in law and medicine in 1779 makes it one of the first universities in the United States.
Testing Scores for Admission
According to the college, the average SAT score ranges from 1360 to 1520, while the average ACT score is between 31 and 34. The average weighted GPA of acceptance is around 4.3 and 82% of students placed in the top decile of their graduating class. As such, GPA is just as important as the main two standardized tests.
Acceptance & Graduation Rate
To get into W&M, a student’s standardized test scores and high school GPA have to be great. This is reflected in the acceptance rate as it is 37%. However, this school has enrolled some bright students as the graduation rate is 90%.
How Are Applicants Rated?
William & Mary presently consider 12 factors as “very important” to their candidate evaluation process. These dozen factors are: rigor of secondary school record, class rank, GPA, standardized test scores (despite being test-optional), essays, recommendations, extracurricular activities, talent/ability (see some samples in the Demographics section below), character/personal qualities, state residency, volunteer work, and work experience.
Tips to Get Into the College of William & Mary
- Most “Public Ivies”, including accept the Common App so students should use that to their advantage by filling out the activities section.
- The school does consider “demonstrated interest” so you may be judged on whether or not you made a campus visit, contacted an admissions officer, or engaged with the school on social media.
- William & Mary does offer interviews on a limited basis to current high students. The interview is with a current W&M senior.
- The College of William and Mary is one of the rare public institutions that offers a binding early decision option, but the early decision admit rate increases to 49%.
How Does W&M Compare to Other Top Universities?
W&M’s yield rate—the percentage of accepted students who elect to enroll, divided by the total number of students who are admitted is 26%. For comparison, other notable public schools sport the following yield rates: UVA (40%), UNC Chapel Hill (43%), and Virginia Tech (33%).
Are you or will you be attending the College of William & Mary?
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