Rankings and Polls

Although polls, rankings and guidebooks cannot fully capture the character of any educational institution, they do provide useful indications of the quality that students can expect. For years, the academic excellence of the College of William and Mary has been widely recognized by the growing raft of magazines and guidebooks that annually rank American colleges and universities. From the U.S. News and World Report to Financial Times , William and Mary and its programs are listed among the nation's strongest.

U. S. News and World Report

• WM ranked sixth among all public universities (2008)
• WM ranked 44th among national universities that offer the best value (2005)**
• WM ranked 33rd overall among the nation's best universities (2008)
• WM ranked 18th in graduation rates for national universities (2006)
• The School of Law ranked tied for 27th in the nation (2007)
• The School of Education's graduate program ranked 45th in the nation (2005)
• The doctoral program in American colonial history ranked 2nd in the nation (2001)
• WM ranked the top public institution in the nation in terms of commitment to teaching *

Newsweek

• Named WM “hottest small-state university” (2006)

Fiske Guide to Colleges (2005)

• WM given the highest rating of academics--five stars
• WM designated a "Best Buy" because of its combination of quality and cost
• "Professors cultivate a genuine interest and students go home thinking and applying these things to our daily lives," said one student.

Princeton Review: Best 361 Colleges (2007)

• An undergraduate said of his/her peers “They’re committed to their education: Half of them do it for the grades, and the other half are motivated because they’ve got big plans.”
• WM named a "Best in the Southeast" school.

Kiplinger (2007)

• WM ranked 3rd as a “Best Value” Among College and Universities in the Nation

Financial Times (2006)

• WM School of Business ranked 51st in international rankings
• WM School of Business ranked 31st for value for money in international rankings.

Washington Monthly (2006)

• WM ranked 19th nationally (the highest of any Virginia college or university)

Forbes Magazine (2003)

• W&M MBA program ranked 23rd nationally

Princeton Review of the Best Law Schools (2000)

• “Eighteen applicants vie annually for each place in the William and Mary School of Law’s entering class, making the law school one of the thirty most in-demand in the United States.”
• "William and Mary enjoys a strong reputation that extends well beyond the surrounding region, and it attracts a highly qualified group of applicants."
• "More than 80 percent of current [law] students rated the practical instruction at WM as excellent."
• "Not only did students extol the faculty for accessibility, dedication to teaching and genuine concern for pupils, they also spoke highly of the school's focus on clinical settings."
• "Almost everyone we heard from made a point to mention the pervading sense of community among the student body, describing a place where the students know each other and care about each other -- a rare asset in a law school.' ... and if you're worried about finding a job after graduation, you might want to consider that students at WM were uniformly positive about their career services office."

*Poll conducted in 1995 and not repeated since.
** Category no longer used.