Spotlight on the University of Mary Washington

Today's spotlight takes us to historic Fredericksburg, Virginia, home of the University of Mary Washington. In its 100 year history, UMW has gone through numerous changes. Founded as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women in 1908, the university later became the women's college associated with the University of Virginia. In 1970 the school went coeducational and soon became the public liberal arts college that it is today.

I'm a big fan of public liberal arts colleges. Prospective students typically link low state tuition with massive and impersonal state universities. The University of Mary Washington, however, is proud of its 21-student average class size (often smaller at the upper level) and its high rankings as a quality liberal arts college. With tuition under $7,000 for state residents and under $18,000 for out-of-state students, UMW can save students tens of thousands of dollars compared to a private college.

Some of the features that make the University of Mary Washington special include its attractive Jeffersonian architecture, its high student satisfaction and retention rate, its high number of Peace Corps alumni, and, of course, its value.

If you'd like to learn more about the University of Mary Washington, be sure to check out the UMW profile and visit the official UMW website. If you're familiar with the University of Mary Washington, please share your impressions in the UMW discussion thread in the College Admissions Forum.

Every week I spotlight a great college that might be off the radar of college applicants. If you'd like to recommend a school for a future spotlight, please do so here in the forum.

Related Links:

• Top Public Universities
• Top Liberal Arts Colleges
• SAT Scores for Top Public Universities
• ACT Scores for Top Public Universities