Academics and Reputation
Today the university has about 2,000 undergraduate students and 400 in the School of Law. Both the undergraduate and law schools are near the top of the U.S. News and World Report rankings for national liberal arts colleges and law schools, respectively. In the 2013 guide, the undergraduate college is ranked number 14 amongst national liberal arts colleges and the law school is ranked number 24 nationally amongst all law schools. The 2012 Forbes Magazine college rankings place W&L 15th, twenty one places ahead of nearby academic rival University of Virginia.
The admissions rate for the class of 2016 was 18 percent. "The average combined score on the math and verbal sections of the SAT is 1,415 (of a possible 1,600). The average score on the ACT is 31."
Washington and Lee is divided into three schools: (1) The College, where all undergraduates begin their studies, encompassing the liberal arts, humanities and hard sciences, with notable interest among students in pre-health and pre-law studies; (2) the Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics, which offers majors in accounting, business administration, economics, politics, and public accounting; and (3) the School of Law, which offers Juris Doctor and Master of Laws degrees.
More than 1,100 undergraduate courses are offered. There are no graduate or teaching assistants; every course is taught by a faculty member. The university libraries contain has more than 700,000 volumes (and a vast electronic network). The law library has an additional 400,000 volumes as well as extensive electronic resources.
Washington and Lee offers 42 undergraduate majors (including interdisciplinary majors in neuroscience, medieval and Renaissance studies, and Russian area studies), 20 minors, and additional interdisciplinary programs in African-American studies, East Asian studies, environmental studies, Latin American and Caribbean studies, poverty and human capability studies (Shepherd Program), and women's and gender studies.
Though the university has refused since 2003 to submit data to Princeton Review, the 2006 edition of The Best 357 Colleges ranked W&L highly in its for "Best Overall Academic Experience," "Professors Get High Marks," and "Professor Accessibility". In the 2007 edition, Washington and Lee was ranked fourth in "Professors Get High Marks" and sixth in "Professor Accessibility". Combining academics with an active social culture, Washington and Lee ranked 14th in "Best Overall Academic Experience for Undergraduates".
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