How to Get Into William & Mary: Admissions Stats + Tips

What’s Covered:

• How Hard Is It to Get Into William & Mary?
• Average Academic Profile of Accepted William & Mary Students
• What is William & Mary Looking For?
• How to Improve Your Chances of Getting into William & Mary 

Founded in 1693 by the King and Queen of England, the College of William and Mary is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the country—only Harvard has been in existence longer. Today, William & Mary is known as one of the finest schools in the country. It’s grouped with a collection of prestigious, highly selective, and academically challenging public universities known as the “Public Ivies” and is among the best public universities in the U.S. 

How Hard Is It to Get Into William & Mary?

Getting into William & Mary is challenging and it’s only getting more so. The university’s total applications are up almost 20% since 2020. During the 2025-2026 admissions cycle, William & Mary received 16,895 applications and admitted just 6,245 students, resulting in an overall acceptance rate of 37%. 

William & Mary offers Early Decision (ED) admissions and received 1,477 ED applications during the 2025–2026 admission cycle. The college accepted 727 students through ED, resulting in a 49% Early Decision acceptance rate.

While William & Mary’s acceptance rate is low, your chances depend on the strength of your profile. CollegeVine’s free admissions calculator uses factors like grades, test scores, and extracurriculars to estimate your odds of admission and offer insight into how to improve your profile. 

Average Academic Profile of Accepted William & Mary Students

GPA

The average high school GPA of first-time, first-year students enrolling at William & Mary during the 2025–2026 admission cycle was 4.34, and 89% graduated with a 4.0 GPA.

SAT/ACT

The middle 50% SAT score of students enrolling at William and Mary in the 2025-2026 admissions cycle was 190-1520. The middle 50% ACT score was 32-34. 

Class Rank

Among students enrolling at William & Mary during the 2025–2026 admission cycle, 79% graduated in the top tenth of their high school class, and 95% graduated in the top quarter.

What is William & Mary Looking For?

William & Mary prioritizes students who live in Virginia—60% of its student body hails from in-state. That said, in-state and out-of-state students for the class of 2029 shared the same 37% acceptance rate.  

William & Mary is also committed to building a diverse student body. 33% of the Class of 2029 identify as students of color, and 60% are women. The university also enrolls students from 49 states and more than 70 countries.

How William & Mary Evaluates Applications

According to their 2025-2026 Common Data Set, William & Mary considers the following factors “very important”:

• Course rigor
• Class rank
• GPA
• Essay
• Recommendation letters
• Extracurricular activities 
• Talent
• Character
• State residence
• Volunteer work 
• Work experience 

These are “considered”:

• Test scores
• Interview
• First generation 
• Geographic residence 
• Applicant interest 

And these are “not considered”:

• Legacy 
• Religious affiliation 

How to Improve Your Chances of Getting into William & Mary 

1. Achieve at least a 4.28 GPA while taking the most challenging classes available

William & Mary considers GPA, class rank, and course rigor “very important” in its admissions process. The average high school GPA of students enrolling during the 2025–2026 admission cycle was 4.34, and 89% graduated with a 4.0 GPA.

For serious consideration at William & Mary, you’ll need to earn all, or mostly all, As in the highest level courses offered to you. It’s common for competitive applicants to have completed anywhere between five and 12 AP classes.   

Highly selective schools like William & Mary use a tool known as the Academic Index to help facilitate admissions decisions. Academic Index is the representation of your entire academic performance by a single number. Busy admissions offices use that number to determine if you meet a college’s academic standards and how vigorously to consider your application.   

If your GPA is below William & Mary’s standards and you’re early in your high school career, there’s still time to increase your GPA. If you’re a junior or senior, it’s harder to increase your GPA, so the easiest way to increase your Academic Index is with higher test scores.

2. Aim for a 1490 SAT and 34 ACT  

The middle 50% SAT/ACT range of students enrolling at William & Mary during the 2025-20226 admissions cycle was 1390-1520/32-34. Any score within the middle 50% is good, but the higher your score, the more competitive your application is. William & Mary “considers” test scores when making admissions decisions. 

William & Mary superscores—that is, they will take the highest section score from any SAT/ACT examination. Because of this, we encourage students to maximize their test scores by sitting for the SAT/ACT two to three times. To improve your SAT/ACT score, check out these free CollegeVine resources:

• How to Get a Perfect 1600 Score on the SAT
• How to Get a Perfect 36 Score on the ACT
• More SAT Info and Tips
• More ACT Info and Tips

William & Mary practices test-optional admissions. That is, applicants can choose whether to submit standardized test scores. CollegeVine advises students to take the SAT or ACT and submit their scores if they’re at or above the 25th percentile (1390/32). Applicants who include test scores with their application are accepted at higher rates than those who do not. 

Of first-time, first-year students at William & Mary in the 2025-2026 admissions cycle, 48% submitted SAT scores, and 14% submitted ACT scores. Wondering if you should submit your scores? You can get recommendations on whether to apply test-optional using our free chancing engine. 

3. Cultivate one or two Tier 1-2 extracurriculars (find your “spike”)

William & Mary considers extracurricular activities—along with the talent and character they demonstrate—“very important” to admissions decisions. If your profile features a highly developed interest known as a “spike” and one or two impressive supporting extracurricular activities, you’ll have a leg up on other candidates. 

Nearly every applicant to William & Mary has an astounding academic record and extracurricular activities are a place to separate yourself from the competition. Not all extracurriculars are equal, however, and some carry more weight than others. The four tiers of extracurriculars are a good guide for understanding how colleges value your activities outside of the classroom:

• Tier 1 is reserved for activities that demonstrate exceptional achievement or leadership and are exceedingly rare—for example, winning a prestigious national award or receiving national recognition in a field like athletics or music. 

• Tier 2 is where activities like winning a regional award or earning state-level recognition in athletics or music land. These activities demonstrate great accomplishments and leadership, but lack the distinction and rarity of Tier 1 activities. 

• Tier 3 activities highlight your interests outside of the classroom but lack the influence of those in the higher tiers. These include holding a minor leadership role in a well-known club or being captain of a varsity sport. 

• Tier 4 extracurriculars are the most common and least impactful on admissions. They include taking part in a club, playing in the band or orchestra, and playing a sport. Typically, this tier isn’t the most influential, but keep in mind that William & Mary considers work experience and volunteer work (both activities commonly found in this tier) “very important” to admissions decisions.  

4. Write engaging essays

In addition to extracurricular activities, essays are another avenue to separate yourself from a field full of academic all-stars. William & Mary encourages applicants to submit up to two of their optional essays. If you’re committed to getting accepted at William & Mary, you’ll want to seize this opportunity, write a compelling essay, and set yourself apart.

Essays are “very important” in admissions decisions at William & Mary. Submitting up to two essays can highlight your interest in the school, which is also considered in the evaluation process. Students applying to the St. Andrews Joint Degree Program are required to submit a supplemental essay with their application. 

A strong essay is written in your unique voice, highlights why you belong at a particular school, and how you’ll benefit them once on campus—or, more generally, demonstrates your character (which William & Mary considers “very important) and why you belong at the college. For William & Mary-specific essay advice, check out our article, “How to Write the College of William & Mary Essay 2025-2026.”

5. Letters of Recommendation 

William & Mary considers letters of recommendation “very important” to the admissions process and requires a letter of recommendation from your high school counselor. The college will also accept up to three optional recommendations from teachers, coaches, or volunteer coordinators. Although submitting a teacher letter of recommendation is optional at William & Mary, including one in your application is a sound strategy if you’re serious about getting in. 

A good guideline for whom to ask for your recommendation is a teacher who taught you during your junior or senior year in a core academic class and can speak to academic aptitude and classroom performance. Before you ask for a letter of recommendation, familiarize yourself with the nine rules for requesting letters of recommendation from teachers to ensure you end up with a compelling one. 

6. Apply Early Action/Early Decision.

William & Mary has two Early Decision (ED) admissions processes: ED I and ED II. Both processes are binding, and by applying through them, you’re committed to attending William & Mary if accepted. 

Applying Early Decision can boost your odds of getting accepted at William & Mary—the overall acceptance rate at the college is 37%, and the early decision acceptance rate is 49%. It’s important to note that (ED) isn’t for everyone. Because of its binding nature, it’s best reserved for applicants whose clear first choice is William & Mary. 

Because applying ED doesn’t allow you to compare financial aid packages from other schools, it’s best suited to students who can afford to attend the institution, no matter what their financial aid package ends up being.    

How to Apply to William & Mary 

Deadlines

Application Requirements

William & Mary accepts the Common Application. Other requirements include:

• $75 application fee
• High school transcript 
• Counselor’s letter of recommendation   
• Essay 

Other optional materials include: 

• SAT/ACT 
• Teacher, coach, or volunteer coordinator letter(s) of recommendation 
• Supplemental essays
• Art supplement 
• On-campus interview 

Learn more about William & Mary University 

Interested in learning more about William & Mary? Check out these other informative articles: 

• What is William & Mary Known For?
• How I Got Into William & Mary
• William & Mary Dorms: What They’re Like from a Current Student
• What Does It Cost to Attend the College of William and Mary?
• Top 30 Public Universities in the U.S.

Want to know your chances at William & Mary? Calculate your chances for free right now.