College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Washington and Lee University

VASmall private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #178 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks Washington and Lee University #178 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

Washington and Lee University is a private nonprofit university in Lexington, Virginia, where the degree mix is led by Social Sciences and Business. The fit is clearest for a student who wants a small private setting and expects to work after the degree.

Most graduates are estimated to go into jobs rather than on to further study. Return is among the highest we track.

The typical graduate earns above the median at comparable schools. The downside and upside scenarios sit on either side of the typical figure.

The price case turns on income. At the bottom of the scale, aid can exceed the published cost entirely.

The highest band pays much more. Affordability is modestly below average and access is modestly below average.

The admission rate sits below the median for comparable schools. The best-paid program is also the largest single program.

Washington and Lee University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
14.0%
Six-year completion[2]
93.9%
Four-year earnings[3]
$100,514

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$4,497
Median student debt[4]
$19,500
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$38,000

Washington and Lee University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Washington and Lee University is a private nonprofit university in Lexington, Virginia, enrolling 1,881 undergraduates. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, it falls near the top of the field (88th percentile), though its are spread widely across the ranking.

The university accepts 14.0% of those who apply, against a median of 75.7% at comparable institutions (same type and size). Of first-year students enrolled full time, 96.6% continue into a second year, against a peer median of 74.2%.

The six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 93.9%, against a peer median of 54.9%. An estimated 1.0% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, meaning the six-year rate covers nearly everyone who starts here.

The four pillars sit far apart. Return (98th percentile) is the strongest, while access (34th percentile) is the weakest.

Mobility and affordability fall between them, at the 61st and 41st percentiles respectively, leaving a wide gap between the top and bottom of the profile.

Azimuth evaluates Washington and Lee University across four pillars among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions. Return is the strongest, in the 98th percentile, while access is the weakest, in the 34th percentile.

Mobility sits in the 61st percentile and affordability in the 41st percentile. The profile is one of high earnings potential alongside a more limited financial-access footprint.

The middle 50% of submitted SAT scores among enrolled students fell between 1,430 and 1,540. The middle 50% of ACT scores fell between 33 and 34.

11.3% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. Azimuth ranks Washington and Lee University #974 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Azimuth ranks the university #456 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Washington and Lee University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#178

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 61
Access & reach
National percentile: 34
Affordability
National percentile: 41
Return on investment
National percentile: 98

Top-ranked majors

  1. Accounting and Related Services#7
  2. Economics#36

This school’s two highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / Washington and Lee University briefing

Washington and Lee University cost & financial aid[6][7]

Washington and Lee University lists a published cost of attendance of $87,000, with tuition and fees of $68,045 and room and board of $18,685. For the average aid recipient, financial aid savings against the sticker price are $63,219.

Here the average net price is $23,781. That figure is $1,434 above the $22,347 median at comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #831 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The published cost of attendance at Washington and Lee University is $87,000. Azimuth ranks the university #831 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is -$1,777, for those earning $30,001 to $48,000 it is $75, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $4,497, for those earning $75,001 to $110,000 it is $8,162, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $40,646. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $42,423.

Aid covers about 73% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The across all aid recipients is $23,781, which is $1,434 above the $22,347 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $19,500 in federal student loans. That is $5,500 below the $25,000 peer median for comparable institutions.

85.2% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $38,000.

If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 a month. It estimates what a family at a given income might pay and borrow at this school.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$4,497

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Net price can be negative: when grants and scholarships exceed the listed cost of attendance, students can receive the difference as a refund for other expenses.

Borrowing and repayment at Washington and Lee University

The median federal student debt among borrowers who complete a degree is $19,500. The share of undergraduates who take federal loans is 85.2%.

That median is $5,500 below the $25,000 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 25% of graduates in a recent cohort of 461 borrowed from any source.

The average cumulative debt per borrower was $28,708. Of those graduates, 20% held federal loans, of whom the average was $17,392.

A smaller share, 3%, held private loans averaging $81,140. Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $38,000.

Federally aided graduates from Washington and Lee University who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $100,514 four years after completion. That puts earnings in the 97th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

That is $44,599 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, span from $52,615 on the downside to $120,586 on the upside, with $100,514 as the typical case.

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $19,500 in federal loans, $5,500 below the $25,000 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 a month.

With earnings far above the peer median and debt below it, the two figures point the same way.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $38,000. For student borrowers, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$19,500
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$38,000

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$222/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$483/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Washington and Lee University briefing

Washington and Lee University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Azimuth places the return pillar for Washington and Lee University in the 98th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $100,514.

That figure sits in the 97th percentile nationally. The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $55,915, which puts Washington and Lee University $44,599 above that benchmark.

Federally aided graduates of Washington and Lee University who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $100,514 four years after completing a degree. That median comes from an earnings cohort of 233 completers.

Azimuth places it at the 97th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios are estimates derived from the program mix.

The typical earnings scenario is $100,514, with a downside of $52,615 and an upside of $120,586. Based on the program mix, an estimated 36.2% of graduates continue to graduate study.

Graduates of Washington and Lee University earn a median of $100,514 four years after completion, placing the university at the 97th percentile nationally. That figure is $44,599 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size), which is $55,915.

Azimuth ranks the university #34 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $52,615 on the downside to $120,586 on the upside.

An estimated 36.2% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

The earnings scenarios show a wide range tied to program choice. The downside earnings scenario sits at $52,615, while the upside scenario reaches $120,586.

At the program level, Business Administration and Management graduates report the highest median earnings four years after completion, at $121,699, from 94 degrees awarded. Accounting follows at $118,946, with 37 degrees awarded.

Borrowers who finish a degree hold a median of $19,500 in federal student loans. That is $5,500 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 a month. The published cost of attendance is $87,000.

Aid covers about 73% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, leaving an average net price of $23,781. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $38,000 in Parent PLUS loans.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Washington and Lee University briefing

Washington and Lee University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Washington and Lee University admits 14.0% of applicants, a rate far below the median of 75.7% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 8,963 first-year applicants and admitted 1,214, with 499 enrolling.

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
14.0%
Approximate lower endpoint
1430
Reported average
1498
Approximate upper endpoint
1540

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Washington and Lee University briefing

What are the largest majors at Washington and Lee University?[12]

The five programs with published earnings at Washington and Lee University all report medians above the national benchmark for their fields. The highest-earning field is also the largest by degrees awarded.

Business Administration and Management awards 94 degrees a year and its graduates earn a median of $121,699 four years after completion. Economics, the second-largest program at 69 degrees awarded, reports $115,837 and Azimuth ranks it #36 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Accounting is smaller, at 37 degrees a year, but its graduates earn $118,946 and Azimuth ranks it #7 nationally, #1 in Virginia. At the more moderate end, Political Science awards 69 degrees and its graduates earn $95,190.

Washington and Lee University awards the largest shares of its bachelor's degrees in Social Sciences and Business, at 26.4% and 23.4% respectively. Azimuth ranks 2 of the university's programs nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The highest-ranked program is Accounting, which Azimuth places #7 nationally and #1 in Virginia. It awards 37 degrees a year, and its completers earn a median of $118,946 four years after completion. Economics is the other ranked program, at #36 nationally and #2 in Virginia.

The degree mix at Washington and Lee University leans heavily toward Social Sciences and Business, which together account for 26.4% and 23.4% of bachelor's degrees awarded. Biological Sciences is the next largest family at 9.3%.

The university has 2 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 5 with published four-year earnings data. The largest single program is Business Administration and Management, at 94 degrees awarded a year.

It is also the highest-earning program, with a median of $121,699 four years after completion. Economics and Political Science follow, each awarding 69 degrees.

Accounting is the highest-ranked program, at #1 in Virginia within its field. It awards 37 degrees a year and completers earn a median of $118,946 four years after completion.

The program carries a benchmark ratio of 1.56x against the national median for its field. Economics ranks #36 nationally and #2 in Virginia within its field, with median earnings of $115,837 four years after completion.

The pattern is concentrated: the largest program is also the highest-earning, while the highest-ranked program is a smaller one. Strength in business and economics coincides with the return picture, and the top-ranked program in accounting is a high-performing piece of that same cluster.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Business Administration, Management and Operations 94 degrees awarded
$121,699
Economics 69 degrees awarded
$115,837
Political Science and Government 69 degrees awarded
$95,190
Accounting and Related Services 37 degrees awarded
$118,946
Research and Experimental Psychology 28 degrees awarded
Too few graduates to report
English Language and Literature, General 26 degrees awarded
Too few graduates to report

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Washington and Lee University briefing

What colleges are similar to Washington and Lee University?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Washington and Lee University.

Admissions peerUniversity of Virginia-Main Campus16.8% admitted
Comparison with Washington and Lee University
MeasureWashington and Lee UniversityUniversity of Virginia-Main Campus
Peer earnings · 4 years$100,514$91,448-$9,066 vs Washington and Lee University
Average annual net price$23,781$21,565-$2,216 vs Washington and Lee University · lower cost
Admission rate14.0%16.8%
Explore University of Virginia-Main Campus →
Higher-admission alternativeVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University54.8% admitted
Comparison with Washington and Lee University
MeasureWashington and Lee UniversityVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$100,514$85,647-$14,867 vs Washington and Lee University
Average annual net price$23,781$24,953+$1,172 vs Washington and Lee University · higher cost
Admission rate14.0%54.8%
Explore Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University →
Nearby alternativeUniversity of Virginia-Main CampusNearby option · VA
Comparison with Washington and Lee University
MeasureWashington and Lee UniversityUniversity of Virginia-Main Campus
Peer earnings · 4 years$100,514$91,448-$9,066 vs Washington and Lee University
Average annual net price$23,781$21,565-$2,216 vs Washington and Lee University · lower cost
Admission rate14.0%16.8%
Explore University of Virginia-Main Campus →
Higher-earnings alternativeColumbia University in the City of New York$115,519 earnings
Comparison with Washington and Lee University
MeasureWashington and Lee UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York
Peer earnings · 4 years$100,514$115,519+$15,005 vs Washington and Lee University
Average annual net price$23,781$21,590-$2,191 vs Washington and Lee University · lower cost
Admission rate14.0%4.0%
Explore Columbia University in the City of New York →
Lower-cost alternativePrinceton University$6,128 average net price
Comparison with Washington and Lee University
MeasureWashington and Lee UniversityPrinceton University
Peer earnings · 4 years$100,514$108,590+$8,076 vs Washington and Lee University
Average annual net price$23,781$6,128-$17,653 vs Washington and Lee University · lower cost
Admission rate14.0%4.6%
Explore Princeton University →
Similar profileDavidson CollegeMatched across several measures
Comparison with Washington and Lee University
MeasureWashington and Lee UniversityDavidson College
Peer earnings · 4 years$100,514$72,718-$27,796 vs Washington and Lee University
Average annual net price$23,781$17,379-$6,402 vs Washington and Lee University · lower cost
Admission rate14.0%13.4%
Explore Davidson College →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings