University of Mary Washington
A good fit for students who want accessible admissions and students who prefer a mid-size campus. no major red flags in the data. solid earnings of $56,200 within 10 years.
About This School
University of Mary Washington is a public institution located in Fredericksburg, Virginia with approximately 3,566 undergraduate students enrolled. University of Mary Washington has an open or accessible admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 80%. The average net price after financial aid is $20,667 per year. The graduation rate is 66%, and the typical graduate earns $56,200 within 10 years of enrollment.
University of Mary Washington (UMW) is a public liberal arts university in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Established in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Fredericksburg, the institution later became known as Fredericksburg Teachers College, and was named Mary Washington College in 1938 after Mary Ball Washington, mother of the first president of the United States, George Washington. The General Assembly of Virginia changed the college's name to University of Mary Washington in 2004 to reflect the addition of graduate and professional programs to the central undergraduate curriculum, as well as the establishment of more than one campus. The university offers more than 60 graduate and undergraduate degree programs in three colleges: Arts and Sciences, Business, and Education.
Worth considering if you want an affordable public college experience in Virginia — at $21,108/year after aid and a modest $16,250 in median debt at graduation, the financial profile is genuinely manageable. The 67% graduation rate is a bit below average, though, meaning roughly 1 in 3 students don't finish, so it's worth asking what support systems are in place for you specifically. Graduates earn around $56,200 a decade out, which is decent but not exceptional, making this a reasonable fit if you're drawn to the small campus feel and have a clear academic plan.
Popular Programs
Percentage of degrees awarded. Source: College Scorecard.
Notable Alumni
Source: Wikidata. Used for context only.
Admissions
SAT Scores
ACT Scores
Cost & Financial Aid
Net Price by Family Income
Average annual cost after grants/scholarships, by household income. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Financial Aid
Full Cost
After Graduation
Earnings 6 Years After Enrollment, by Gender
Gap: 15% less for female graduates. National avg ~16%.
What Each Major Actually Earns
Median earnings four years after graduation, by major, next to the national median for that same major at every college. The school-wide average hides this: at most schools the spread between the best- and worst-paying majors is far wider than the gap between schools.
University of Mary Washington graduates earn most above the national rate in Sociology ($58,224 vs $52,657 nationally), and most below it in Historic Preservation and Conservation ($44,823 vs $49,728).
| Major | Grads | Here | National | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 133 | $72,382 | $68,257 | +$4,125 |
| Psychology, General | 85 | $53,388 | $50,706 | +$2,682 |
| Biology, General | 84 | $61,864 | $57,214 | +$4,650 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 80 | $54,336 | $53,072 | +$1,264 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 55 | $95,461 | $92,374 | +$3,087 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 50 | $45,824 | $48,590 | −$2,766 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 39 | $91,861 | $88,910 | +$2,951 |
| Historic Preservation and Conservation | 34 | $44,823 | $49,728 | −$4,905 |
| History | 30 | $54,625 | $50,680 | +$3,945 |
| Political Science and Government | 30 | $60,881 | $63,293 | −$2,412 |
| Sociology | 29 | $58,224 | $52,657 | +$5,567 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 24 | $44,357 | $41,367 | +$2,990 |
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data. Median earnings of graduates working and not enrolled four years after completing a bachelor's degreehere. Majors with too few graduates to report are omitted for privacy, so this is not the school's full program list.
Will This School Pay Off?
Solid return. Earnings outpace debt, though major choice matters.
Earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. These are means across all graduates, not specific to any major.
Student Body
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (3,566 undergraduates).
Contact & Location
Address
University of Mary Washington
1301 College Ave
Fredericksburg, VA 22401-5300
Official Links
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See How Colleges Compare
University of Mary Washington is one of thousands of colleges in our data studies, each built from the same U.S. Department of Education data shown on this page. Compare schools head to head:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at University of Mary Washington?
University of Mary Washington has an acceptance rate of 80%, based on the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Education.
Is University of Mary Washington hard to get into?
Not especially. University of Mary Washington has an acceptance rate of 80%, so admissions are relatively accessible for applicants who meet the requirements.
How much does University of Mary Washington cost?
The average net price at University of Mary Washington is about $20,667 per year after grants and scholarships, based on federal data. Your actual cost depends on your family's finances and aid package.
What is the graduation rate at University of Mary Washington?
University of Mary Washington has a graduation rate of 66%, according to U.S. Department of Education data.
Sources & Methodology
Primary data source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Accessed via automated sync. Latest values may come from different reporting years depending on the metric.
School overview from Wikipedia. Used for context only, not as a primary data source for admissions, cost, or outcomes claims.
- Earnings figures are institution-level averages, not major-specific.
- Some metrics are based on Title IV financial aid recipients only.
- Some values may be privacy-suppressed or rolled up by the Department of Education.
- Contact the school directly for current admissions requirements and costs.
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