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 students to explore a variety of subjects and make connections between them.
Small Size, Big Impact
Our students 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 students 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 students 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 students ranked Washington and Lee more highly than students 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 students.
Student to Faculty Ratio
7:1
Our low student-to-faculty ratio means students 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 students 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 students ranked Washington and Lee more highly than students 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 students.
Student to Faculty Ratio
7:1
Our low student-to-faculty ratio means students 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 students 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 students’ 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 students, 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 students 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 students and your professor. That’s 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’s not uncommon for students to say after their Spring Term experience, “This course changed my life.”
Expect the Unexpected
Our distinctive blend of liberal arts and professional programs encourages students 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’d 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’ve come to really enjoy the chemistry class I’m taking now. It’s fascinating how much of it is applicable to daily life, and I’ve 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’m 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’t 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 — something I likely wouldn’t 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’m excited to pursue both entrepreneurship and my passion for health sciences!”
What Will You Study?
Washington and Lee’s expansive curriculum invites students to explore their interests, discover connections between disciplines, and dive deep into learning.
Reiter has carved his own path at W&L by designing a major that combines his interests in theater, business, communications and law.
Annual Spring Spotlight to be Held on Campus May 23
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 students together with business journalists from across the nation.
A chance encounter in the Science Center as a child set Alyssa Cirrincione ’25 on a path to pursue her curiosity at W&L.
Students in W&L’s 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 ’68 established the Christopher D. Connors Endowment for Earth and Environmental Geoscience to honor the “living legend” and support student internships in geology and related fields.
This fall, W&L students learned environmental field methods at a six-acre site in Rockbridge County set aside for experiential learning.
Connolly Center Creates Entrepreneur-in-Residence Program
The program exposes students to cutting-edge ideas by bringing business and entrepreneurial leaders to campus.
Minor Focus: Law, Justice and Society
W&L’s Law, Justice and Society minor examines legal concepts from an interdisciplinary lens.
Nadia Ayoub, professor of biology, loves sharing her passion for open-ended scientific exploration with colleagues and students.
W&L’s quantum computing program is among the first in the nation offered at a small liberal arts institution.
Office Hours with Robert Humston and Megan Fulcher
Professors Robert Humston and Megan Fulcher are part of a team of faculty volunteers who serve as liaisons between athletics and academics.