Transformative Education
The Best of Both Worlds
As a small, private liberal arts university with established undergraduate programs in business, economics, politics, entrepreneurship, journalism, strategic communication, and engineering, as well as a graduate law school, Washington and Lee combines the advantages of a small liberal arts college with the opportunities of a research university. Our expansive curriculum encourages 91传媒 to explore a variety of subjects and make connections between them.
Small Size, Big Impact
Our 91传媒 benefit from our small size and innovative curriculum. W&L consistently ranks among the highest in the nation for retention and four-year graduation rates. Our small classes and focus on faculty-student mentorship mean 91传媒 receive a highly personalized and engaging education.
First-Year Retention Rate
97%
Our first-year retention rate is the highest among top liberal arts colleges, setting 91传媒 on the path to success.
Four-Year Graduation Rate
92%
Our four-year graduation rate is #1 among top liberal arts colleges, demonstrating our commitment to student support and success.
Learning Opportunities
#1
According to a 2023 student poll by The Wall Street Journal, our 91传媒 ranked Washington and Lee more highly than 91传媒 at any other college or university for learning opportunities, including the overall quality of teaching.
Majors and Minors
47/44
Our expansive academic offerings include programs in business administration, accounting, entrepreneurship, journalism, engineering, and teacher education that you won’t find at other liberal arts colleges.
Classes with < 20 Students
84%
We pride ourselves on our small class sizes, ranking second among top liberal arts colleges for the percentage of classes with fewer than 20 91传媒.
Student to Faculty Ratio
7:1
Our low student-to-faculty ratio means 91传媒 receive personal attention from faculty mentors.
First-Year Retention Rate
97%
Our first-year retention rate is the highest among top liberal arts colleges, setting 91传媒 on the path to success.
Four-Year Graduation Rate
92%
Our four-year graduation rate is #1 among top liberal arts colleges, demonstrating our commitment to student support and success.
Learning Opportunities
#1
According to a 2023 student poll by The Wall Street Journal, our 91传媒 ranked Washington and Lee more highly than 91传媒 at any other college or university for learning opportunities, including the overall quality of teaching.
Majors and Minors
47/44
Our expansive academic offerings include programs in business administration, accounting, entrepreneurship, journalism, engineering, and teacher education that you won’t find at other liberal arts colleges.
Classes with < 20 Students
84%
We pride ourselves on our small class sizes, ranking second among top liberal arts colleges for the percentage of classes with fewer than 20 91传媒.
Student to Faculty Ratio
7:1
Our low student-to-faculty ratio means 91传媒 receive personal attention from faculty mentors.
Connect the Dots
W&L is home to 13 interdisciplinary academic programs and three interdisciplinary academic centers that encourage 91传媒 to think differently, working across disciplines and exploring subjects from a variety of angles.
Entrepreneurship
The Connolly Center
A liberal arts university is the ideal setting in which to foster entrepreneurship. Students are immersed in a course of study that emphasizes analytical thinking, qualitative and quantitative reasoning, creativity and innovation. The Connolly Center for Entrepreneurship provides them with the necessary tools to develop business plans that are both executable and fundable, and an extremely supportive faculty and alumni community helps shepherd 91传媒’ ventures from concept to business plan to launch and beyond.
Southern Race Relations, Culture, and Politics
The DeLaney Center
The DeLaney Center is an interdisciplinary academic forum that promotes teaching and research on race and Southern identity. The center encourages the creation of new courses, facilitates faculty scholarship, and advances student production of original research and creative work. It also hosts film showings, site visits, symposia, lectures, conferences, and other programming that build our community.
Ethical Reasoning
The Mudd Center for Ethics
The Mudd Center, established by a gift from the distinguished, award-winning journalist Roger Mudd, Class of 1950, provides a forum for dialogue, teaching and research about important ethical issues in public and professional life among 91传媒, faculty and staff.
Dive Right in
W&L’s distinctive academic calendar includes two traditional 12-week terms followed by an immersive four-week Spring Term, allowing 91传媒 to dive deep into a single subject or take time away from campus to pursue internships or independent projects.
12-12-4
Spring Term
After two traditional twelve-week semesters of study, imagine exploring a topic in-depth alongside your fellow 91传媒 and your professor. That鈥檚 the essence of W&L’s distinctive four-week Spring Term. Students choose one course from about 200 options that may be conducted in the U.S. or abroad. It鈥檚 not uncommon for 91传媒 to say after their Spring Term experience, 鈥淭his course changed my life.鈥
Expect the Unexpected
Our distinctive blend of liberal arts and professional programs encourages 91传媒 to explore their interests and discover new passions.
Ashton Mouton ’28
Rayne, Louisiana
MAJOR: Politics and Sociology
MINOR: Law, Justice and Society
“Initially, I wanted to be a surgeon. However, after taking one sociology class, I knew that medicine could never excite me the way law could.”
Schuler Hildenbrand ’27
Louisville, Kentucky
MAJOR: American History, Pre-Med
“When I first started at W&L, I had planned on majoring in biology or neuroscience because I felt like that was what I had to do as a pre-med student, but after taking two history courses in the fall, I decided to become an American history major. I am grateful to be at a school where we are encouraged to explore many disciplines because it allowed me to find something I really enjoy learning about.”
Chris Smith ’26
Fayetteville, West Virginia
MAJOR: Philosophy
MINOR: Poverty and Human Capability Studies
“After taking POV 101, I started to take more poverty studies courses and became enthralled in educating myself more about the wide ranges of effects that poverty has on people, which has formed a new life path for me in public service.”
Madison Lilly ’25
Narrows, Virginia
MAJOR: Neuroscience
MINOR: Poverty and Human Capability
“I never intended to study neuroscience, which is now my major. I came to W&L planning to study biochemistry or biology, but after taking Brain and Behavior my first year, I knew that neuroscience would define the rest of my time at W&L. I was excited to learn that it aligned well with my pre-med track, and I am beyond happy with my decision.”
AJ Thomas ’25
Gaithersburg, Maryland
MAJOR: Computer Science
MINOR: Japanese
“I never thought I鈥檇 touch chemistry again after sophomore year of high school. Then I found myself needing a lab credit to complete my FDR requirements and I just so happened to have made a strong connection with Dr. Uffelman at numerous sporting events and ended up taking his class. I鈥檝e come to really enjoy the chemistry class I鈥檓 taking now. It鈥檚 fascinating how much of it is applicable to daily life, and I鈥檝e found myself going down rabbit holes just learning new things.”
Elizabeth Marshall ’25
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
MAJOR: Mathematics
MINOR: Data Science
“While I am fond of reading and writing, I most anticipate my theory-based math classes. This was a surprise given that I was confident that I would be an Engineering major when applying to college. I expected to go through college in applied-math, and engineering courses. However, I found that the Mathematics and Computer Science departments were much more engaging to me, which led to my eventual declaration of a Mathematics major and a Data Science minor.”
Jenna Bernstein ’25
St. Louis, Missouri
MAJOR: Computer Science
MINOR: Philosophy
“When I first arrived at W&L, I thought I would pursue a biology degree, but my academic journey took an unexpected turn after my first semester. I explored various courses, one of these being Introduction to Engineering, which helped me discover my passion for coding. After that, I enrolled in my first computer science class and never looked back. The Computer Science Department has become an important part of my academic experience, and I鈥檓 grateful for the support and guidance from my professors.”
Darnell Pelzer Jr. ’25
Norfolk, Virginia
MAJOR: English
MINOR: Africana Studies and Mass Communications
“A topic I wasn鈥檛 expecting to study was mass communications and journalism. I had a great interest in media and made a point to stay somewhat updated on the news in my own time, but actively developing my ability to create communications content outside of presentations for projects was a new thing for me. Practicing photojournalism, refining my ability to communicate and pulling back on my tendencies to over- or under-elaborate to compose a coherent story was difficult and yet engaging all the same.”
Sofia Iuteri ’27
Greenwich, Connecticut
MAJOR: Economics and Environmental Studies
MINOR: Entrepreneurship
“My favorite class so far has been [the] Volcanoes of Yellowstone Spring Term course. It was my first Spring Term class and combined two weeks of on-campus learning with two weeks of travel to Yellowstone National Park, Oregon and Washington. Not only did I form lifelong friendships, but I also explored the field of geology 鈥 something I likely wouldn鈥檛 have encountered otherwise.”
Paige McBoyle ’26
Short Hills, New Jersey
MAJOR: Neuroscience
MINOR: Entrepreneurship
“When I first came to W&L, I was focused on the pre-health track, but after taking Foundations of Entrepreneurship and Business (BUS 160), an introductory entrepreneurship class, I completely fell in love with it. The course opened up a new interest for me, and now I鈥檓 excited to pursue both entrepreneurship and my passion for health sciences!”
What Will You Study?
Washington and Lee’s expansive curriculum invites 91传媒 to explore their interests, discover connections between disciplines, and dive deep into learning.
Featured Stories
The 13-lined ground squirrels currently residing in the Science Center for associate professor of biology Jessica LaPrice鈥檚 research have inspired a cross-campus collaboration that showcases W&L鈥檚 emphasis on hands-on learning.
Avigliano is studying for the MCAT this summer and then will be working as a scribe for a pediatrician.
A creative new Spring Term course brought 91传媒 to Austin, Texas, for alumni mentorship, career exploration and literary analysis.
Students explored real-world applications of sustainable business practices in the Social Innovation in Scandinavia Spring Term Abroad course.
Aby Joyner 鈥28 believes in the power of photography and poetry, publishing two books, with another in progress.
Two innovative sociology research projects conducted in collaboration with professor of sociology Jonathan Eastwood give 鈥渘etworking鈥 a whole new meaning.
Reiter has carved his own path at W&L by designing a major that combines his interests in theater, business, communications and law.
Students and faculty will summarize and display their Spring Term research and coursework.
The Follow the Money workshop and Spring Term course bring W&L 91传媒 together with business journalists from across the nation.
A chance encounter in the Science Center as a child set Alyssa Cirrincione 鈥25 on a path to pursue her curiosity at W&L.
Students in W&L鈥檚 Bonner Program spent the last year creating a digital map of health care networks for people experiencing homelessness worldwide.
Mackenzie Brooks, associate professor and digital humanities librarian, has made an impact on campus through her innovative and collaborative approach to teaching and scholarship.
Howard Capito 鈥68 established the Christopher D. Connors Endowment for Earth and Environmental Geoscience to honor the 鈥渓iving legend鈥 and support student internships in geology and related fields.