Fast Facts

The University of Mary Washington combines long-standing traditions with state-of-the-art technological advances to provide one of the best undergraduate liberal arts educations in the country, as well as the leading regional graduate programs in education, business, and technology. Its location half-way between Virginia’s capital and Washington, D.C., as well as impressive internship and study abroad experiences, puts Mary Washington in a unique position to extend the classroom experience beyond Fredericksburg.  

UMW AT A GLANCE:

TYPE OF INSTITUTION

The University of Mary Washington is a co-educational, public institution located in historic Fredericksburg, Va.

HISTORY

The University of Mary Washington celebrated its centennial during the 2007-08 academic year. Founded in 1908, the University is named to honor Mary Washington, famed Fredericksburg resident and mother of George Washington.

CAMPUSES

The University’s residential campus in Fredericksburg houses the traditional undergraduate program. The campus features Jeffersonian architecture on 176 beautifully landscaped acres. The Stafford Campus is located nearby in Stafford County; here, working adults have been taking classes at night or on weekends to complete a bachelor’s degree or earn a master’s degree since the campus opened in 1999.

LOCATION

The University is within an hour’s drive of both Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Va., providing students with unique internships, research excursions, or recreational opportunities. Students also can head west to see Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, or east to visit the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. In addition, the City of Fredericksburg offers a mix of history, culture, and recreational activities.

STUDENT BODY

There are approximately 4,000 undergraduate students enrolled at the Fredericksburg campus from 41 states and many foreign countries. About 15 percent are members of minority groups. About 65 percent of students live on campus in one of 17 residence halls or campus apartments. The entering freshman class is a bright and diverse group of students from across the nation and the world.

More than 1,000 students are enrolled in degree completion and graduate programs and other credit-bearing courses at the Stafford Campus.

NATIONAL RANKINGS

UMW is ranked in every major selective guide publication. The following is a sample of what these guides have to say about UMW:

Fiske Guide to Colleges 2011 designated UMW as a “Best Buy School, making it the only college in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia reaching this distinction.

Forbes.com rated UMW as the South's eighth best public college in its annual listing of “America’s Best Colleges.” The university also ranks 44th in the magazine’s list of “America’s Best Values.” Overall, UMW rates 208 out of 610 undergraduate institutions that the magazine considers the nation’s best.

The University of Mary Washington is also listed in the Princeton Review's 2010 edition of “The Best 371 Colleges.” 

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine named the University in its “100 Best Values in Public Colleges” for 2011. The university ranked 26th for in-state tuition costs and 28th for “best value” when comparing out-of-state tuition costs.

Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges’ 2009 edition placed Mary Washington in its “very competitive” category, designating the University as one of the 467 top colleges and universities in the nation in terms of academic selectivity.

Shine, a Reader’s Digest magazine, listed the University as a “Top Financial Find” in July 2009.

The Peace Corps has named the University of Mary Washington to its annual list of “Top Producing Colleges and Universities.” UMW ranks first among small colleges and universities with fewer than 5,000 undergraduates, with 32 alumni currently volunteering for the Peace Corps.

2010 FRESHMAN CLASS

UMW reviewed 4,767 freshman applications for the fall of 2010, offered admission to candidates, and enrolled 966 first-time freshman for the 2009 fall semester. These students hail from 28 states and 8 foreign countries. Their SAT scores ranged from 1600 to 1840 and their ACT scores ranged from 24 to 26.

FACULTY

Students learn from full-time faculty, more than 90 percent of whom have earned a doctorate or other terminal degree in their field. The University has no graduate teaching assistants. Since 2006, UMW saw one faculty member win a Pulitzer Prize in poetry, and three other faculty members receive Fulbright Awards to teach abroad.

CLASS SIZE

The average undergraduate class size is 22 students. Upper-level classes are smaller, typically with about 15 students. The student-faculty ratio is 15:1.

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

UMW provides a strong undergraduate education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences with more than 40 majors and programs of study. Students may double-major or design their own interdisciplinary major. Many students also conduct independent research, hold internships, and study abroad.

DEGREE PROGRAMS

Fredericksburg: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Liberal Studies, Master of Science in Elementary Education

Stafford: Bachelor of Professional Studies, Master of Business Administration, Master of Education, Master of Science in Management Information Systems, MBA-MSMIS dual degree

THE FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE

The UMW First-Year Experience focuses on giving incoming Mary Washington students the resources and support needed to successfully transition to college. The program’s provides special events and activities to help students excel academically, find friends, adjust to college life and balance their academic and social schedules. The year-long experience promotes connections through intentional programming and academic resources. The FYE community is open to incoming freshmen and first-year transfer students who are open-minded and have a sincere desire to be successful leaders. No prior leadership experience is necessary for membership.

STUDY ABROAD

Approximately 289 University of Mary Washington students studied abroad last year on either year-long, semester or summer programs. The University offers 14 of its own faculty-led summer programs and 116 exchange or direct enroll opportunities with universities abroad in a variety of locations.

INFORMATION RESOURCES

The University of Mary Washington offers technically advanced access to the world of information, both for rigorous scholarship and for the life of the mind beyond formal research and learning. Its two primary libraries (one each on the Fredericksburg and Stafford campuses) offer sophisticated traditional collections across the range of academic disciplines, while also providing guided gateways to myriad on-line resources. The University’s technical infrastructure, featuring high-capacity networking throughout and wireless network access in all academic buildings (plus many residence hall “common” areas), brings the range of resources to each person’s fingertips.

STUDENT LIFE

There are more than 100 student clubs and organizations oriented around academic themes, the arts, sports and recreation, student government, cultural diversity, and other interests.

RETENTION RATES

The most recent graduation rate for UMW students is 76%. This means that of the 882 freshmen who enrolled at the University in the fall of 2002, 668 of them graduated from UMW within six years. The Chronicle for Higher Education ranked the University fourth in the nation among public master’s universities for its graduation rate, according to an analysis of federal data through 2008.
UMW also has been recognized as having the third highest graduation rate among “very competitive” Southern schools, according to a national survey. Diplomas and Dropouts conducted by the American Enterprise Institute in June 2009. In addition, U.S. News & World Report recognized UMW as having the second highest graduation rate among regional universities in the South.

INTERCOLLEGIATE AND RECREATIONAL ATHLETICS

UMW’s 23 teams for men and women compete in the NCAA Division III Capital Athletic Conference (CAC), with impressive results. The Eagles have captured the CAC All-Sports Award – given to the overall best athletics program – 11 times. More than 242 Eagles have been named to All-American teams. The University also offers 17 club sports and outstanding facilities for sports and recreation.

SCHOOL COLORS

The school's colors are gray and blue.

COST

UMW is widely touted in college guidebooks as a “Best Buy” in higher education. For the 2010-11 academic year, undergraduate tuition and fees for Virginia residents total $7,862; for non-residents, $19,590. Room and board for all undergraduates is $8,012. More than half of students receive financial aid.

The cost of graduate school for in-state residents is $362 per hour per credit hour.