QuestBridge Scholars at W&L
Washington and Lee University is a proud QuestBridge partner institution.
-
Apply
- For International Applicants
- QuestBridge Scholars at W&L
- For Transfer Applicants
- Supplemental Application Prompts
- Admissions Interviews
- Test-Optional Admissions at W&L
- Using AI in Your W&L Application
- About Early Decision
- About the Waiting List
- Applicant Review
- 2029 Class Profile
- Request an Application Fee Waiver
- Visit
- Virtual Events
- Tuition and Costs
- Financial Aid
- The Johnson Scholarship
- Applicant Portal
- For School Counselors
- Join Our Mailing List
- Contact Us
Applying to W&L through QuestBridge
Washington and Lee University partners with QuestBridge, a national nonprofit that connects exceptional low-income students with top colleges offering robust financial aid and scholarships. Each year, nearly 10% of W&L’s incoming class is admitted through the National College Match or QuestBridge Regular Decision.
Access and Affordability
QuestBridge Match Scholarship
Students who participate in the National College Match, rank W&L, and are matched with W&L receive a comprehensive, four-year scholarship that covers the entire cost of attendance, including tuition, housing, meals, and other educational expenses.
Need-Based Financial Aid
Students who apply to W&L through QuestBridge Regular Decision are strongly encouraged to submit both the CSS Profile and FAFSA to be considered for need-based financial aid.
About Our Financial Aid
- Need Blind — W&L admits students without considering their ability to pay.
- 100% — W&L meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted applicant entirely through grants and student employment, without loans.
- $0 in tuition — Undergraduate students with a total family income below $150,000 and assets typical for their income will receive a minimum grant equal to full tuition. Families earning less than $75,000 will pay no tuition, room, or board.
- $60 million in aid awarded annually. Our top-25 endowment among all U.S. colleges and universities allows us to provide need-based financial aid to the greatest number of students across the broadest range of incomes.
- Over 60% of the entering first-year class receives need-based financial aid, with an average aid award greater than $65,000.
- #1 — Students participating in the 2026 Princeton Review survey ranked W&L first overall for “Great Financial Aid."
Who are QuestBridge Scholars at W&L?
How to Apply
Deadline: October 16
The National College Match Program is an early-admission option that allows students to rank 15 participating schools in order of preference through a single application.
Match applicants agree to attend the school that ranks highest on their list and accepts them. A student who lists W&L as a preference and is accepted by the university will receive a no-loan financial aid award valued at the full cost of attendance.
Forwarding deadline: December 11
The QuestBridge Regular Decision process enables qualified students to apply to participating colleges without an application fee via the school’s standard admissions process using a QuestBridge application. Simply complete the QuestBridge Regular Decision Form to send your completed application to W&L. Upon receipt, you will be given access to a W&L applicant portal, where you may submit additional optional supplemental application materials, including a short statement about “Why W&L?” and either a 250-word or recorded video addressing one of four prompts designed to allow you to show other sides of your intellect, personality, and background.
QuestBridge Finalists who don’t match at W&L, Non-Finalists, and Non-Participating Finalists are all welcome to apply to W&L after the College Match process if you believe W&L could be a good match for you. Like all students who apply to W&L, QuestBridge-affiliated applicants will be awarded financial aid packages that meet 100% of demonstrated financial need, without loans.
Finalists will automatically be considered for the Johnson Scholarship at W&L. Non-finalists are encouraged to apply for the Johnson Scholarship by submitting a scholarship essay on one of the available prompts.
If you have more questions about applying to W&L after the match, please email questbridge@wlu.edu or call the Office of Admissions.
The Johnson Scholarship Program awards scholarships of at least tuition, room, and board to approximately 44 students in each entering class. Johnson Scholars also receive $10,000 om additional funding to support summer experiences such as internships, research projects, travel, or volunteer experiences. Recipients are selected based on academic achievement, demonstrated leadership, and the potential to contribute to the intellectual and civic life of the W&L community.
QuestBridge Finalists are automatically considered for the Johnson Scholarship, provided they forward their QuestBridge application to W&L. If they wish, finalists may submit the Johnson Scholarship essay in their W&L applicant portal, but it is not required to be considered. Students will gain access to their applicant portal once we receive their forwarded application.
QuestBridge Non-Finalists are encouraged to apply for the Johnson Scholarship, but are not automatically considered. To be considered for the Johnson Scholarship, non-finalists must forward their QuestBridge application to W&L and complete the Johnson Scholarship application essay in their applicant portals by January 1. Students will gain access to their applicant portal once we receive their forwarded application.
- Visit our Johnson Scholarship pages to view the Johnson Scholarship essay prompts.
-
Apply
- For International Applicants
- QuestBridge Scholars at W&L
- For Transfer Applicants
- Supplemental Application Prompts
- Admissions Interviews
- Test-Optional Admissions at W&L
- Using AI in Your W&L Application
- About Early Decision
- About the Waiting List
- Applicant Review
- 2029 Class Profile
- Request an Application Fee Waiver
- Visit
- Virtual Events
- Tuition and Costs
- Financial Aid
- The Johnson Scholarship
- Applicant Portal
- For High School Counselors
- Join Our Mailing List
- Contact Us
The opportunities that I had access to at a school like W&L are so different from what I would have had elsewhere, and even after graduation, I continued to find leadership opportunities and forge valuable personal relationships through my connection with QuestBridge.
Abdurrafey Khan ’17
W&L Quest Scholar/Alumnus
QuestBridge at W&L
Ten years of partnership. Ten percent of every class. A thriving QuestBridge community ready to welcome you.
Keneah, co-captain of the women’s basketball team, says her bond with her teammates goes far beyond the court.
Duarte has embraced leadership development through the Choral Conducting Mentorship Program.
Positivity Meets Personal Connections
Mariam Drammeh ’25 has approached research, internships and campus involvement with an eye toward a future rooted in service to others.
Celebrating 10 Years of QuestBridge
Since 2010, the university has enrolled 326 students through QuestBridge’s match program, helping high-achieving, low-income students access higher education.
Valuable connections with professors have opened Hulsey’s world to new subjects and opportunities to make an impact.
Pelzer has enjoyed connecting with others with shared interests through the Gaming Club, University Singers, SABU and the Office of Sustainability.
W&L’s Michelle Morgan ’24 Earns Fulbright to North Macedonia
Morgan was selected for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to teach English in North Macedonia.
Accounting major Darya Philips ’24 counts her semester abroad as one of the greatest experiences of her life.
Two W&L Students Selected for Internships with the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty
Jana Hulsey ’25 and Jalen Todd ’25 will work with programs in Washington, D.C. for eight weeks over the summer.
Jerónimo Reyes ’21 says he is so immensely grateful for the gifts in his life, including a QuestBridge scholarship to W&L, that he wants to become a doctor and devote his career to helping others.
Enuma Anekwe-Desince ’22 has found her niche at Washington and Lee University through her involvement in the Advanced Immersion and Mentoring Program, leadership roles in student organizations, and work as a research assistant in the sociology and psychology departments.
Julia Hernandez took a Spring Term class in Ghana and studied abroad in France and Morocco, proving that W&L is a gateway to opportunities all over the globe.