Washington and Lee University
Lexington, Virginia · Also known as Washington and Lee, W&L, WLU · Website
$94,810
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$94,810
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Washington and Lee University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Lexington, Virginia with 1,881 undergraduates and 355 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $23,781 a year (tuition and fees $68,045). It admits 14% of applicants and 94% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $94,810 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $19,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$23,781
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$68,045
US median $11,837
Admission rate
14%
US median 78%
Completion rate
94%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$19,500
About $207 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$94,810
Rank 62 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $23,781
- Tuition and fees
- $68,045
- Cost of attendance
- $87,000
- Students with a need-based grant
- 11%
- Students with federal loans
- 14%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- -$1,777
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $75
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $4,497
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $8,162
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $40,646
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $46,417 in 2015-16 to $68,045 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 14%
- Average SAT
- 1,498
- SAT reading, middle
- 725
- SAT math, middle
- 745
- ACT, middle
- 34
- Undergraduates
- 1,881
- Graduate students
- 355
- Part-time students
- 0%
- Women
- 51%
- Students per teacher
- 7
- Completion rate
- 94%
- Retention rate
- 97%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 35
- Endowment
- $2.0B
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 62 of 5,094 US colleges and 1 of 127 in Virginia (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | VA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $23,781 | $19,081 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $68,045 | $16,364 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 14% | 80% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 94% | 52% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 97% | 73% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $19,500 | $20,000 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $76,516 | $36,582 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $94,810 | $42,837 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 88% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 86% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
35 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LawProfessional | Professional | 107 | $97,335 | $77,253 | $110,606 | $107,773 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 96 | Withheld | $76,627 | $121,699 | $68,257 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 70 | Withheld | Withheld | $95,190 | $63,293 |
| EconomicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 67 | $23,399 | $71,737 | $115,837 | $82,686 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 40 | $16,750 | $81,625 | $118,946 | $76,194 |
| Research and Experimental PsychologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 30 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,695 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 29 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $57,214 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 24 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,590 |
| Neurobiology and NeurosciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 22 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $62,451 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's | Bachelor's | 21 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,012 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 20 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $107,009 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 20 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,000 |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 17 | Withheld | Withheld | $100,087 | $50,680 |
| Sociology and AnthropologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 16 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $46,959 |
| MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $69,562 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $63,560 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,367 |
| Engineering, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $89,359 |
| ChemistryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,120 |
| Engineering ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $93,782 |
| PhilosophyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $54,455 |
| JournalismBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $56,278 |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,642 |
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $49,429 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/GeosciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $60,190 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Lexington and Virginia on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Virginia
- Homes: Homes for sale in Virginia
Questions and answers
How much does Washington and Lee University cost?
$23,781 a year is the average net price at Washington and Lee University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $68,045, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $87,000. Families earning under $30,000 pay -$1,777 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Washington and Lee University?
14% of applicants are admitted to Washington and Lee University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,498 and the middle ACT score is 34. The median admission rate of colleges in Virginia is 80%.
How much do Washington and Lee University graduates earn?
$94,810 a year is the median pay of former Washington and Lee University students who work, 10 years after they started ($76,516 after 6 years). That ranks 62 of 5,094 US colleges and 1 of 127 in Virginia. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's) at $81,625.
How much student debt do Washington and Lee University graduates have?
$19,500 is the median federal student loan debt of Washington and Lee University graduates, about $207 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 14% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Washington and Lee University?
94% of first-time, full-time students at Washington and Lee University finish within 6 years. 97% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Washington and Lee University?
Law (107 professional graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (96 bachelor's graduates), Political Science and Government (70 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 35 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.