University of Mary Washington

[Anonymous]

I think it's slipping in the hierarchy is mostly attributable to the rise of CNU and the merit-aid pricing game with similarly ranked LACs. Used to be if you didn't want a huge school and didn't get into W&M, UMW was the next best option. Now CNU has a shiny new campus + sports and that appeals to a lot of students. And, kids who do like UMW have a lot of LAC options in neighboring states that can match in-state prices.

That's what happened with my DD. She had no interest in the big VA schools, hated CNU. Her in-state choices were W&M (waitlisted) and UMW. But, she liked a couple PA LACs better and ended up at one of those. I'd have loved for her to go to UMW, I think it has a great program for her interests, but she's happy where she landed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I applied in 1997 it was more of a safety school, or at least that’s how I remember it. Was it really that selective at some point?

Oh please. We're not impressed.

I wasn’t trying to be braggy or flippant. My parents did not help me through the application process and I had a pretty blasé counselor who told me that about Mary Washington, so I assumed what she told me was correct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can't anyone get into GMU? I've never heard of anyone being turned down.

This thread is about University of Mary Washington

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's slipping in the hierarchy is mostly attributable to the rise of CNU and the merit-aid pricing game with similarly ranked LACs. Used to be if you didn't want a huge school and didn't get into W&M, UMW was the next best option. Now CNU has a shiny new campus + sports and that appeals to a lot of students. And, kids who do like UMW have a lot of LAC options in neighboring states that can match in-state prices.

That's what happened with my DD. She had no interest in the big VA schools, hated CNU. Her in-state choices were W&M (waitlisted) and UMW. But, she liked a couple PA LACs better and ended up at one of those. I'd have loved for her to go to UMW, I think it has a great program for her interests, but she's happy where she landed.

What do you predict for Randolph Macon and Emory and Henry given the rise of CNU?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP here. AI says the admit rates was 55 percent in 2000, 70 percent in 2008 and 80 percent in 2026, and says at the turn of the century it only trailed UVA and W&M. That's consistent with my understanding.

Why would it start to become less selective?

Christopher Newport opened and stole some of its thunder?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Like many smaller mid-tier liberal arts colleges, UMW has seen application and enrollment numbers steadily decline in the past few decades. There is a shift towards larger flagship institutions, including more students headed OOS.

This is the answer. Fewer kids want a SLAC today than 30 years ago. Kids also want degrees in engineering and business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it's a concern . . . but it's interesting that yes over the years MW has slipped considerably in the VA state school hierarchy.

It hasn’t really. Any adjustment in hierarchy is because other schools improved, not because UMW declined. After the top tier of UVA/VT/W&M, JMU and GMU have been in ascendance. UMW and VCU are next tier after that — UMW is the best of the small public LACs in VA.

I never said it declined in quality. I said it slipped in the hierarchy. BUT it definitely has declined in terms of admissions standards. It absolutely has gotten less competitive in admissions. Not that long ago it was turning away nearly half its applicants. It was the third most selective state school in VA for many years. Those days are over.

I never knew it was third! When did that change?

In the 1980’s, Mary Washington was very highly respected and selective. I think the decline began when it became a university and tried to grow too quickly and lowered admission standards. It should have stayed a college, with its niche for quality undergraduate education. When I attended, all of my classes were taught by full professors with no TA’s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP here. AI says the admit rates was 55 percent in 2000, 70 percent in 2008 and 80 percent in 2026, and says at the turn of the century it only trailed UVA and W&M. That's consistent with my understanding.

Why would it start to become less selective?

Other schools like VT and JMU became a lot more selective. More kids want the bigger college experience. UMW is very small, doesn't have big sports programs, not a lot going on. Its perfectly fine, just not what a lot of kids want in a college experience.

JMU is also less selective now than back then, so nope.

[Anonymous]

Is UMW a better school than Christopher Newport or any of the others like Randolph-Macon or Emory & Henry?

[Anonymous]

Well I was rejected from UMW in 1992 as a solid B student. I'm pretty sure I'd be accepted today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well I was rejected from UMW in 1992 as a solid B student. I'm pretty sure I'd be accepted today.

Sorry, this was 1988. I graduated college in '92 (from JMU, where I transferred after 1 year at Lynchburg).

[Anonymous]

Interesting to read this Washington Post article from 2012 about the DC, MD, VA college rankings. This is when Mary Wash and James Madison were regional institutions and both are now ranked nationally. CNU is still considered regional so it’s hard to do an apples-to-apples comparison.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/us-news-college-rankings-a-closer-look-at-the-dc-region/2012/09/14/339c6cce-fcf1-11e1-8adc-499661afe377_story.html

[Anonymous]

UMW was high on our list until we got wind of this: "Chinese language program cut at UMW" https://theweeklyringer.com/2025/02/28/chinese-language-program-cut-at-umw/

Budget-wise, probably the shrewd thing to do, but not an encouraging sign for a liberal arts school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I applied in 1997 it was more of a safety school, or at least that’s how I remember it. Was it really that selective at some point?

Same. It was always a safety under UVA, JMU and Tech.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like many smaller mid-tier liberal arts colleges, UMW has seen application and enrollment numbers steadily decline in the past few decades. There is a shift towards larger flagship institutions, including more students headed OOS.

This is the answer. Fewer kids want a SLAC today than 30 years ago. Kids also want degrees in engineering and business.

I'd like both my kids to go there but one wants engineering. What I value is 1) publicly funded education and 2) excellent undergrad teaching - so professors hired to teach while doing research not to do research and offload teaching to an ai agent (that is coming fast and hard for RI schools). It's hard to find for a b or B+ or even a- student, but UMW has it.