William & Mary

Key Highlights

• Public university founded by royal charter in 1693
• Accredited to award bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees
• More than 7,000 undergraduates and approximately 2,700 graduate students
• Academic units span liberal arts, law, business, education, marine science and computing-related fields

Student Life & Environment

William & Mary presents a predominantly campus-centered student experience. Its student-life directory lists more than 475 clubs and organizations, over 40 student-led sport clubs and 23 Division I varsity teams. Activities span academic and professional interests, service, culture and identity, media, performance, faith, student government, recreation, and fraternity and sorority life. This breadth gives students several ways to build community outside class without requiring participation in varsity athletics or Greek organizations. Residence Life offers rooms ranging from singles to quads as well as suites, apartments, language houses, and fraternity and sorority housing. On-campus living places students near classrooms, dining, libraries, faculty offices and the Sadler Center. Housing choices and availability can change by year, so applicants should review the 2026–2027 room-selection materials and contract terms rather than relying on a general description. The Sadler Center functions as a student union for studying, dining, events and organization activity. Recreation options include intramurals, fitness programming, outdoor trips, aquatics and use of Lake Matoaka. Health and wellness services are organized through Campus Recreation, the Counseling Center, Health Promotion and the Student Health Center. The institution's long history also shapes community traditions, including Opening Convocation, Yule Log and Commencement. Students seeking a quieter or highly independent urban experience should note that much of the social infrastructure is tied to the residential campus and the mid-sized Williamsburg setting.

Location & Surroundings

The main campus is in Williamsburg, a mid-sized Virginia city closely associated with the region's colonial history and tourism economy. The university describes Richmond and Virginia Beach as about an hour away and Washington, D.C., as roughly three hours away by car or train. Local leisure options include parks and outdoor spaces, restaurants and cafés, Busch Gardens and Water Country USA. Lake Matoaka and the campus's historic core provide recreation and gathering spaces within the university grounds. Daily life can be manageable without a car. William & Mary says a typical walk across campus takes about 20 minutes, while groceries, shops, cafés and a farmers market can be reached on foot or by bicycle. Students can use Williamsburg Area Transit Authority buses without charge, and Zipcar and student carpooling offer alternatives for occasional trips. Williamsburg has an Amtrak station for longer-distance rail travel. The nearest commercial airports are at Newport News/Williamsburg, Richmond and Norfolk, but reaching campus still requires ground transportation. International students and others arriving by air should budget for that connection and check current schedules and prices. William & Mary's Washington Center adds a city-based academic option, but it is not a substitute for the main residential campus.

Costs & Career Outcomes

For 2026–2027 undergraduates, William & Mary estimates total annual costs of $48,638 for Virginia residents and $75,652 for out-of-state students. The in-state estimate includes $19,734 in tuition, $7,501 in fees, $10,512 for housing and $7,134 for food, plus $3,757 in indirect expenses. The out-of-state estimate includes $46,177 in tuition, $8,072 in fees, the same housing and food allowances, and $3,757 in indirect expenses. Exact bills vary with housing, meals, courses and program, and indirect costs are not billed directly by the university. Domestic students seeking need-based support should review FAFSA and CSS Profile requirements and deadlines. The university reports that in 2024–2025, 77% of first-year in-state students and 60% of first-year out-of-state students received some form of aid. These figures describe any aid, not necessarily full demonstrated need or a guaranteed future award. International applicants face a particularly important constraint: William & Mary states that it generally has no scholarship or loan funds for undergraduate citizens of other countries, so most must be prepared to finance the full cost. Career outcomes should be read with their survey coverage. Preliminary Class of 2025 data, updated April 28, 2026, indicate that 92% were employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months, with an 88% knowledge rate; these results were not yet final. For the Class of 2024, the university reported the same 92% outcome at an 80% knowledge rate and an overall mean full-time salary of $64,890. Outcomes vary substantially by field, occupation and further-study plans, so program-level reports are more useful than the institution-wide average for individual decisions.