Washington and Lee University

Overview

Washington and Lee is a private, liberal arts university nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. W&L supports the education of the whole person and values students who are intellectually curious, eager to engage with their communities, inclined to critical thinking, and prepared to lead lives of consequence. 

W&L’s curriculum combines the traditional liberal arts with professional programs including business, accounting, journalism, engineering, and law. Interdisciplinary programs examine the modern world through multiple lenses and include the study of ethics in business and journalism, poverty and human capability, law and justice, and southern race relations, culture, and politics, to name a few. Students enjoy small classes and develop strong relationships with professors who serve as mentors, advisors, and research partners.

W&L’s campus in Lexington, Virginia provides easy access to outdoor recreation, while more than 170 clubs and organizations allow students to engage in the tight-knit campus community. W&L’s career development programs and alumni network ensure students have opportunities to pursue internships and careers in cities around the world. W&L is proud of its friendly and supportive community built on the foundation of an honor system that is entirely student-run and that values a diversity of perspectives.

Experiential learning, research, and travel are persistent features of W&L's approach to the liberal arts. Their special four-week Spring Term allows students to participate in a single immersive course exploring a topic of diverse interest. Recent classes have taken students to Paris to relive the excitement of expatriate African American authors like Josephine Baker and Richard Wright. Other classes have had students examining flowing lava on the big island of Hawaii, tracking buffalo migration in the American west, and studying the culture of Japan through anime in Tokyo. The goal of Spring Term is for students to proclaim: “this course changed my life,” which is to say that many students find their true passion in these deeply engaging courses.

Dive in at W&L to broaden your perspective, enrich your education, and lend depth to your experience.

Fun Fact: For over a century, W&L students have replicated the national convention of the party out of power in the White House in sync with the presidential election cycle. W&L’s Mock Convention is the most accurate and realistic mock presidential nominating convention in the nation. Over 90% of the student body participates in each “Mock Con”, serving as state delegates, research leads, parade float designers, and delegation attendees.

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