Peer Institutions

A carefully selected group of peer institutions is essential for a university to articulate its identity and strategic direction. It offers a clearer understanding of its strengths, opportunities, and distinctiveness. When it comes to William & Mary, selecting a list of peers is challenging, due to our genuinely distinctive profile.

As a public university offering features commonly associated with private institutions — such as small class sizes — and as a liberal arts and sciences university that also holds R1 research status, we defy simple categorization. In many ways, one could argue that the ampersand in our name also symbolizes the unique blending of strengths that shape our distinct academic identity. Below you may find three separate lists of William & Mary peer institutions.

Board of Visitors List of Peer Institutions (circa 2025)

In November, 2025, the university Board of Visitors approved the following list of 25 peer institutions.

• American University
• Boston College
• Brandeis University
• Brown University
• Clemson University
• Dartmouth College
• Duke University
• Emory University
• Georgetown University
• George Washington University
• University of Georgia
• Lehigh University
• Northeastern University
• Rice University
• Santa Clara University
• Stony Brook University
• Tufts University
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• University of Southern California
• University of Virginia – Main Campus
• Vanderbilt University
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• Villanova University
• Wake Forest University
• Washington University in St. Louis

IPEDS Comparison List (circa 2024)

The U.S. Department of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) collects data from all postsecondary institutions. Our custom peer institution group was submitted by W&M in 2018 and is listed below (16):

• Boston College
• Brandeis University
• Brown University
• Dartmouth College
• Emory University
• Georgetown University
• Tufts University
• University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
• University of California – Irvine
• University of California – Santa Barbara
• University of Notre Dame
• University of Virginia – Main Campus
• Vanderbilt University
• Wake Forest University
• Washington University in St Louis
• Yeshiva University

SCHEV Benchmark Group (circa 2007)

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) conducted a benchmarking study in 2007 to identify a list of institutions that are comparable according to their operations to each university of the Commonwealth. Their benchmark group for William & Mary is listed below (25):

• Boston College
• Boston University
• Brandeis University
• Brown University
• Clemson University
• Dartmouth College
• Emory University
• Georgetown University
• Marquette University
• Rutgers University-New Brunswick
• Binghamton University
• Syracuse University
• Tufts University
• University of California-Irvine
• University of California-Santa Barbara
• University of Connecticut
• University of Delaware
• University of Georgia
• University of New Hampshire-Main Campus
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• University of Notre Dame
• Vanderbilt University
• Wake Forest University
• Washington University in St Louis
• Yeshiva University

Comprehensive Summary of Peer Institutions

Comprehensive List of Peer Institutions

University	Board of Visitors (2025)	IPEDS (2024)	SCHEV (2007)
American University	X
Boston College	X	X	X
Boston University			X
Brandeis University	X	X	X
Brown University	X	X	X
Clemson University	X		X
Dartmouth College	X	X	X
Duke University	X
Emory University	X	X	X
Georgetown University	X	X	X
George Washington University	X
University of Georgia	X		X
Lehigh University	X
Marquette University			X
Northeastern University	X
Rice University	X
Rutgers University – New Brunswick			X
Santa Clara University	X
Binghamton University			X
Stony Brook University	X
Syracuse University			X
Tufts  University	X	X	X
University of California - Irvine		X	X
University of California - Santa Barbara		X	X
University of Connecticut			X
University of  Delaware			X
University of New Hampshire			X
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	X	X	X
University of Notre Dame		X	X
University of Virginia -Main Campus	X	X
Vanderbilt University	X	X	X
Villanova University	X
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	X
Wake Forest University	X	X	X
Wash University in St Louis	X	X	X
Yeshiva University		X	X
University of Southern California	X