The College of William & Mary

William & Mary is unlike any other university in America.We’re the second oldest institution of higher learning in the nation, but also a cutting-edge research university. We’re a "Public Ivy" — one of only eight in the nation — offering a world-class education at an exceptional value.

Our students are not only some of the smartest in the world, but passionate about serving others and serious about having fun. Our professors are teachers, scholars and research mentors, the cornerstone of a thriving intellectual community that produces experienced, engaged, successful graduates.Through their strengths, passions and knowledge, our faculty, students and staff are creating a new model of sustainability for higher education.We love our hometown of Williamsburg and the amazing Commonwealth of Virginia and we’re proud to be one of the reasons for their economic success.

We're famous for our rigorous liberal arts curriculum and our dedicated, engaged professors. Our students are nothing short of exceptional; they're scholars, athletes, activists, musicians, world travelers and generous volunteers. Our campus, adjoining Colonial Williamsburg, is a masterwork of preservation and innovation.

We've been many things over the course of our 325-year history, but never has William & Mary been as vibrant, innovative and engaged as it is today.Our students shine brighter than ever. They come here with impressive test scores, but even more impressive ambitions. They're ready to be challenged inside the classroom and out. They see our historic dedication to community service and sustainability and can't wait to put their considerable talents to work on tough, real-world problems.

Building on our core value of diversity, we strive to be a place where equity and inclusion are integral parts of all that we do. We work to create a community that is representative of individuals with different backgrounds, talents and skills.We believe in original, hands-on research, something that's missing from most liberal arts educations.That's why our undergrads — from their very first class — are given unprecedented opportunities to work with peers and experienced faculty mentors on projects that inspire them.We're proud of our hometown and our home state of Virginia. We’re constantly looking for innovative partnerships that contribute to the booming economic development of the Williamsburg region and the state as a whole.At the end of the day, nothing says more about the distinct advantages of a W&M education than the remarkable success of our graduates.

William & Mary is an academic powerhouse. Our undergraduate and graduate students know they'll work hard, and that their uncommon efforts will be personally, academically and professionally rewarding.Our faculty members are recognized leaders in their fields and passionately engaged educators. They understand that first-hand knowledge, original researchand a first-person cross-cultural perspective have the power to turn an ordinary class into an unforgettable experience.Academic life at William & Mary takes place across Arts & Sciences and four schools, and dozens of academic departments.If you're seeking to be challenged, engaged, inspired — to be educated — you belong at William & Mary.

We bet you have a lot of questions. For instance, who is W&M? What makes our students so extraordinary? For that matter, what exactly is a "Public Ivy?" And what does it mean to go to a university that claims both Thomas Jefferson and Jon Stewart as alumni?Start by checking out our more than 40 undergraduate programs, taught by the most committed professors in America (that’s an actual statistic) who are also internationally and nationally recognized scholars.And don’t forget our more than 40 graduate and professional degree programs in arts and sciences, business, education, law and marine science. You’ll see why U.S. News and World Report ranked us sixth among all public colleges and universities in the country.When you’re ready to apply, our undergraduate admission and graduate admission staff are here to make your life easier. William & Mary is consistently ranked among the top “best buy” colleges in the nation, due in no small part to our financial aid.

Campus life at William & Mary is as varied and engaging as the remarkable students who go here. We're athletes, artists, activists, hikers, singers, researchers and adventurers, and W&M knows how to make us happy.

We're called the College of William & Mary, but we're actually a university, making our share of a university's contributions to the creation of knowledge — research and scholarship.A research university holds a myriad of projects and relationships — large, small and in-between. Like these...Our research culture places an emphasis on quality, selectivity and innovation. Our size fosters both collaboration and efficiency. We're big enough to contribute effectively to many of the solutions of problems at national and global levels, yet small enough to keep overhead costs from ballooning.The scale of our research operation is ideal for the development of collaborations.Our collaborative philosophy extends to the involvement of undergraduates in research at the highest levels. It's quite common at William & Mary to find projects on which professors, post-docs, graduate students and undergraduates all work together — great illustrations of our research.