W&M at a Glance

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. Find out more about W&M:

Our History

• Chartered on February 8, 1693, by King William III and Queen Mary II of England
• The second oldest college in America
• Severed formal ties with Britain in 1776
• Became state-supported in 1906 and coeducational in 1918
• Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's first academic Greek society, was founded here in 1776
• We also have the nation's first Honor Code 

Our Campus

• 1,200-acres—including scenic Lake Matoaka and College Woods—located in historic downtown Williamsburg, Virginia
• Named one of Intel's 50 "Most Unwired College Campuses" for our campus-wide wireless network
• Sir Christopher Wren Building (1700) is the oldest college building in the U.S.
• Colonial Campus section is restored to 18th-century appearance

Outstanding, Diverse Students

• From all 50 states and 43 foreign countries
• 5,700 undergraduates and 1,925 graduate students
• 25 percent are students of color
• 79 percent of freshmen graduated in the top ten percent of their class
• Middle 50th percentile on SAT: 1260-1430, higher than any other public university in Virginia
• Over 400 student clubs and organizations
• 75 percent of students participate in community service projects

Professors Who Teach

• 11:1 student-faculty ratio
• 86 percent of courses have 40 or fewer students
• 601 faculty members across all undergraduate, graduate and professional programs
• W&M has more recipients of the Commonwealth of Virginia's Outstanding Faculty Award than any other college or university

Academics

• Five undergraduate and graduate schools: Arts & Sciences, Business, Education, Law and Marine Science
• Over 30 undergraduate programs, 10 graduate programs and professional degree programs in Business, Education, Law and Marine Science
• Degrees conferred: B.A., B.B.A., B.S., Ed.D., J.D., LL.M., M.A., M.A.C., M.B.A., M.Ed., M.P.P., M.S., Ph.D., Psy.D.

Facilities

• Earl Gregg Swem Library houses a million-plus books and hundreds of thousands of periodicals, journals and electronic databases
• Swem Library's Media Center boasts nine cutting-edge digital video and audio editing suites and a state-of-the-art Special Collections Research Center
• The Muscarelle Museum of Art has a permanent collection of 3,700 paintings, sculptures and works on paper
• The Integrated Science Center is a massive interdisciplinary research and teaching facility for chemistry, biology and psychology undergrads, graduate students and faculty
• The Fresh Food Company—we call it "The Caf," where healthy entrées are made right before your eyes—is more like a hip, international restaurant than a college cafeteria
• The Mason School of Business recently celebrated the opening of Alan B. Miller Hall which provides approximately 160,000 square feet of space consisting of state-of-the-art facilities for instruction, student activities, faculty offices, visiting scholars and research.

Our Alumni

• 81,065 and counting
• Three U.S. presidents—Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe and John Tyler—were educated at William & Mary
• Our recent graduates include award-winning poets, a senior State Department official, a performer in the Blue Man Group, an international banker, a crazy amount of Peace Corps volunteers and Fulbright scholars, and some dude named Jon Stewart