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William & Mary
William & Mary turned away roughly 67% of its 17,548 applicants in the Fall 2023 cycle — selective enough that the middle-50% ranges below deserve a careful read.
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William & Mary occupies suburban Williamsburg, VA — a public campus quieter than a downtown one, closer to one than a rural seat.
Its highest-earning path is Computer Science, where graduates median $127,851 four years out. Faculty pay averages $155,304 a year here — a rough proxy for what the school spends on the teaching itself. With 7,055 undergraduates and a residential core, weekends happen on campus — and 94.6% of first-years come back for a second year.
Submitters admitted here typically landed between 1365 and 1510 — above the VA middle for four-year schools. Put your own practice estimate on William & Mary's range with the SAT calculator, or bring a saved GPA from the grade tools.
Admissions
William & Mary is test-optional: scores are considered when submitted but not required. The 1365–1510 range below describes admitted students who chose to submit — typically William & Mary's stronger testers — so treat it as the higher end of what gets in.
| Score | 25th | 50th | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Reading & Writing | 695 | 730 | 750 |
| SAT Math | 670 | 720 | 760 |
| ACT Composite | 32 | 33 | 34 |
Percentiles are among students who submitted scores (Fall 2023 admissions cycle).
In the Fall 2023 cycle, William & Mary received 17,548 applications and admitted 5,741 (32.7%), with 1,619 enrolling.
How William & Mary compares
| William & Mary | Virginia median | National median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 34.1% | 83.1% | 77.2% |
| Tuition (in-state) | $25,914 | $21,650 | $19,591 |
| Median earnings (10 yr) | $73,490 | $53,453 | $53,781 |
Ten years after enrolling, the median William & Mary student earns $73,490 — 37% above the Virginia median of $53,453 for college-goers.
Cost, size & completion
As a public university, William & Mary prices by residency: $25,914 in-state versus $51,038 out-of-state — a $25,124 gap that makes state lines part of the decision.
William & Mary enrolls 7,055 undergraduates — mid-sized, with the trade-offs William & Mary's scale implies: more programs than a small college, more anonymity too.
89.4% of William & Mary students finish a bachelor's within six years — 34.6 points above the national 54.9% — and the single best predictor that the $25,914 price above buys a degree, not just enrollment.
Top majors by earnings at William & Mary
| Bachelor's program | Median earnings, 4 yrs after completion |
|---|---|
| Computer Science | $127,851 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | $111,366 |
| Economics | $105,467 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | $91,065 |
| Sociology | $87,655 |
| Mathematics | $87,170 |
| Chemistry | $78,270 |
| Physics | $77,863 |
| Philosophy | $75,423 |
| Political Science and Government | $72,173 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $70,523 |
| Public Policy Analysis | $69,118 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | $68,992 |
| Area Studies | $68,909 |
| History | $63,632 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | $60,177 |
| Psychology, General | $59,226 |
| English Language and Literature, General | $57,616 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | $52,161 |
| Biology, General | $49,644 |
Median earnings for these 20 William & Mary programs come from a different federal cohort than the campus-wide $73,490 above — compare rows to each other, not to that 10-year figure. 14 additional William & Mary programs have earnings withheld under federal privacy rules.
Frequently asked questions
What GPA and test scores do you need for William & Mary?
Among admitted students who submitted scores, the middle 50% scored 1365–1510 on the SAT. There's no published GPA cutoff — pair these ranges with the 34.1% admission rate to judge your odds.
What is William & Mary's acceptance rate?
32.7% in the Fall 2023 cycle — 5,741 admitted from 17,548 applicants.
How much does William & Mary cost?
In-state tuition is $25,914; out-of-state students pay $51,038. Fees, housing and aid move the real total in both directions.
What do William & Mary graduates earn?
Federal data puts median earnings at $73,490 ten years after enrolling. The table above breaks this down by major.
Similar colleges in Virginia
- University of Richmond — 22.2% admitted
- University of Virginia's College at Wise — 28.5% admitted
- University of Virginia-Main Campus — 16.8% admitted
- Regent University — 38.1% admitted
Run your own numbers
Data: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Jun 2026), IPEDS ADM2023/HD2024. Retrieved 2026-09-01. Figures reflect the latest federal cohorts, which lag the current admissions cycle.