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William & Mary Admits 6,136 Students to the Class of 2029

Published Updated 4 min read

(This article reports on news from April 2025.)

William & Mary (W&M) offered admission to 6,136 students for its undergraduate Class of 2029, selected from 16,890 applicants, an admission rate of 36%. The university announced the figures on April 9, 2025, ahead of its annual Day for Admitted Students, and said total applications had risen nearly 20% since 2020 (W&M News, April 9, 2025).

William & Mary campus scene

The admitted Class of 2029 at a glance

Applicants 16,890
Offers of admission 6,136 (36%)
Early Decision applications (two rounds) 1,478, the second-largest ED pool in W&M history
Early Decision offers 735
Top 10% of high school class (admits with a class rank) 91%
SAT, middle 50% 1410–1520
ACT, middle 50% 33–35
Geography All 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands and 41 countries

Source: W&M News. After Virginia, the most common home states among admitted students were New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, California, North Carolina, Connecticut, Texas and Illinois. The announcement did not say how many admitted students were international.

“William & Mary has always attracted the best and brightest students,” said Tim Wolfe, associate provost for enrollment and dean of admission.

Access for in-state, lower-income students

W&M covers full tuition and fees for in-state Pell Grant recipients and runs the Commonwealth Impact Partnership Program, in which Virginia high schools nominate high-achieving students from limited-income families. In fall 2024, the university met its goal of having Pell recipients make up at least 20% of in-state students. Offers to in-state first-generation students rose 3% for the Class of 2029 (W&M News). Pell Grants and these state-focused programs are for U.S. students, so they do not apply to international applicants.

Day for Admitted Students

W&M expected about 1,300 admitted students and roughly 4,000 visitors in total at the April 2025 Day for Admitted Students. Students who had already paid their enrollment deposit received a miniature bell engraved with a cypher, a nod to the Wren Building bell. Sessions covered academics, study abroad, club sports, internships and research. One was a neuroscience lecture, “From Wren’s Brain to the Wren Building,” in which participants could handle a real brain. More than 215 student clubs and organizations, nearly half of the university’s total, appeared at a party in the Sunken Garden. Admitted students who could not attend had other options: the “You Belong” program on April 11 and Green & Gold Days on April 7, 21 and 25 (W&M News).

Applying to W&M as an international student

  • Application: W&M accepts the Common App. Deadlines are November 1 for Early Decision I and January 5 for Early Decision II and Regular Decision. Both Early Decision rounds are binding. Transcripts, test scores and recommendations may arrive after the deadline. Records that are not in English need official literal translations (W&M international application process).
  • Testing: W&M is test-optional for the SAT and ACT. It strongly recommends that international and non-native English speakers submit a TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo score. Applicants can also complete an unscripted third-party interview through InitialView or Vericant. W&M does not publish a minimum English score for undergraduates and says no TOEFL or IELTS score guarantees admission (application process; standardized testing).
  • Cost and aid: International students pay out-of-state rates. For 2025–26, out-of-state tuition was $43,442, plus $7,596 in required fees (IPEDS). W&M says that, “generally speaking,” it “does not have scholarship or loan funds available to aid undergraduate students who are citizens of other countries” (W&M international transfer page). Admitted students who need an F-1 or J-1 visa submit financial certification through W&M’s iStart system.
  • Campus profile: W&M enrolled 9,818 students in fall 2025, including 7,063 undergraduates. 526 students were international (237 undergraduates and 289 graduate students), about 5% of the total. 95% of first-year students returned for their second year (IPEDS). W&M ranks No. 52 among national universities in the U.S. News 2027 edition (Forward Pathway’s US Colleges Ranking).

Latest: who enrolled, and the Class of 2030

In August 2025, about 1,650 first-year students enrolled in the Class of 2029, along with about 215 transfer students. International students made up 3% of the entering class. See Forward Pathway’s report: William & Mary Welcomes the Class of 2029 and Its Largest Transfer Cohort in 14 Years.

For the next cycle, W&M made 6,001 offers of admission to the Class of 2030 from 17,432 applicants, an admission rate of 34%. It received a record 1,606 Early Decision applications, up 9%, and made a record 760 ED offers. Of admitted students with a class rank, 89% were in the top 10% of their class. The middle 50% SAT range was 1420–1520 and the ACT range was 33–35. Admitted students came from 57 countries, compared with 41 a year earlier (W&M News, April 8, 2026).

Admitted class Applicants Offers Admission rate ED applications Countries
Class of 2029 (April 2025) 16,890 6,136 36% 1,478 41
Class of 2030 (April 2026) 17,432 6,001 34% 1,606 57

W&M’s admissions facts page later gave the final figures for the Class of 2030: 17,440 applications and a 35% acceptance rate (34% in-state, 37% out-of-state). It reported 1,692 enrolling first-year students, 33 of them in the St Andrews Joint Degree Programme. 39% of applicants applied test-optional (W&M Facts & Figures).

For admissions, cost and outcome data, see Forward Pathway’s William & Mary profile.

References

#William & Mary#Admissions

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