College of William & Mary: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics

College of William and Mary

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The College of William & Mary is a public research university with an acceptance rate of 38%. Students interested in William & Mary can apply using either the Common Application or the Coalition Application. William & Mary has an Early Decision option that can improve admission chances for students who are sure the school is their top choice.

Considering applying to William & Mary? Here are the admissions statistics you should know, including average SAT/ACT scores and GPAs of admitted students.

Why the College of William & Mary?

  • Location: Williamsburg, Virginia
  • Campus Features: William & Mary's historic 1,200-acre campus includes a lake, woodlands, and an amphitheater that can accommodate 2,000 patrons. The Sir Christopher Wren Building, built in 1700, is the oldest university building in the country that is still in use.
  • Student/Faculty Ratio: 11:1
  • Athletics: The William & Mary Tribe teams compete in the NCAA Division I Colonial Athletic Association for most sports.
  • Highlights: Founded in 1693, William & Mary is the second oldest college in the country. Phi Beta Kappa was founded at the college, and the school is home to over 450 student clubs and organizations. William & Mary is one of the top colleges in the Southeast.

Acceptance Rate

During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, William & Mary had an acceptance rate of 38%. This means that for every 100 students who applied, 38 students were admitted, making William & Mary's admissions process competitive.

Admissions Statistics (2018-19)
Number of Applicants 14,680
Percent Admitted 38%
Percent Admitted Who Enrolled (Yield) 28%

SAT Scores and Requirements

The College of William & Mary requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, 80% admitted students submitted SAT scores.

SAT Range (Admitted Students)
Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile
ERW 660 740
Math 660 770
ERW=Evidence-Based Reading and Writing

This admissions data tells us that most of William & Mary's admitted students fall within the top 20% nationally on the SAT. For the evidence-based reading and writing section, 50% of students admitted to William & Mary scored between 660 and 740, while 25% scored below 660 and 25% scored above 740. On the math section, 50% of admitted students scored between 660 and 770, while 25% scored below 660 and 25% scored above 770. Applicants with a composite SAT score of 1510 or higher will have particularly competitive chances at the College of William & Mary.

Requirements

William & Mary does not require the SAT writing section. Note that William & Mary participates in the scorechoice program, which means that the admissions office will consider your highest score from each individual section across all SAT test dates. At the College of William & Mary, SAT Subject tests are optional.

ACT Scores and Requirements

William & Mary requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, 32% of admitted students submitted ACT scores.

ACT Range (Admitted Students)
Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile
English 31 35
Math 27 33
Composite 30 34

This admissions data tells us that most of the College of William & Mary's admitted students fall within the top 7% nationally on the ACT. The middle 50% of students admitted to William & Mary received a composite ACT score between 30 and 34, while 25% scored above 34 and 25% scored below 30.

Requirements

Note that William & Mary does not superscore ACT results; your highest composite ACT score will be considered. The College of William & Mary does not require the ACT writing section.

GPA

In 2019, the average high school GPA for incoming William & Mary freshmen was 4.27, and over 95% of incoming students had an average GPA of 4.0 or above. These results suggest that most successful applicants to William & Mary have primarily A grades.

Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph

College of William & Mary Applicants' Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph.
College of William & Mary Applicants' Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph.  Data courtesy of Cappex.

The admissions data in the graph is self-reported by applicants to the College of William & Mary. GPAs are unweighted. Find out how you compare to accepted students, see the real-time graph, and calculate your chances of getting in with a free Cappex account.

Admissions Chances

William & Mary has a competitive admissions pool with a low acceptance rate and high average SAT/ACT scores. However, William & Mary has a holistic admissions process involving other factors beyond your grades and test scores. A strong application essay and glowing letters of recommendation can strengthen your application, as can participation in meaningful extracurricular activities and a rigorous course schedule. While not required, applicants can add to their application profile by submitting an optional teacher evaluation form and participating in an optional on-campus interview. Students with particularly compelling stories or achievements can still receive serious consideration even if their grades and test scores are outside of William & Mary's average range.

In the graph above, the green and blue dots represent accepted students. As the data show, the majority of accepted students had an "A" average, an SAT score (ERW+M) above 1250, and an ACT composite score of 27 or higher. Chances of admission improve as those numbers go up.

If You Like William & Mary, You May Also Like These Schools

All admissions data has been sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics and the College of William & Mary Undergraduate Admissions Office.

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Grove, Allen. "College of William & Mary: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics." ThoughtCo, Aug. 29, 2020, thoughtco.com/college-of-william-and-mary-admissions-787268. Grove, Allen. (2020, August 29). College of William & Mary: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/college-of-william-and-mary-admissions-787268 Grove, Allen. "College of William & Mary: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/college-of-william-and-mary-admissions-787268 (accessed March 29, 2024).