What is so special about UVA, W&M, VT!?!??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I'm the poster who originally said W&M was pricey for in-state tuition. I still think that. I also didn't say that it was the most expensive school out there or that it wasn't worth it. If one of my kids wanted to go there, I'd happily pay.

Out of curiosity, I looked up Michigan's tuition and fees, which are $18,346. W&M's tuition and fees are $26,456. UVM's tuition and fees are $19,996. All exclusive of housing, of course.

What is peculiar about W&M fees compared to the other VA publics is a $1 284 a semester “auxiliary fee” charge and a $1,204 a semester fee for “intercollegiate athletics” which adds up to $4,084, hence the surcharge over, say, UVA. I asked about that because DD has no interest in “intercollegiate athletics” but they were firm it had to be paid.

Many schools are now passing on the costs of NIL to their students. At least W&M is up front about what it’s for and doesn’t hide it?

The state requires public schools to publish fees. All state four year colleges have intercollegiate athletics fees ranging from $732 at VT to $4,186 at VMI.

[b]


UVA does not have an intercollegiate athletic fee. https://sfs.virginia.edu/financial-aid-new-applicants/financial-aid-basics/estimated-undergraduate-cost-attendance-2025-2026#:~:text=Student%20Health%20Insurance:%20All%20students%20at%20the,the%20comparable%20plan%20criteria%2C%20the%20student%20will

No they just lie about it and hide it under another fee

+1

[i]Of course they have this.

[b]

Show us where.

2025-26 Mandatory Fees at UVA reflect a $786 Athletics fee:

https://uvafinance.virginia.edu/sites/uvafinance/files/2025-08/Components%20of%20Mandatory%20Fee%202025-26%20August%2027.pdf

[Anonymous]

I didn't read all of the responses so someone may have mentioned it already, but there was (is?) a pre-paid tuition option in Virginia. Some parents pre-paid their kids' tuitions so they are limited to Virginia schools. Those are definitely the three best Virginia schools. I'm not sure the pre-paid option exists anymore, and I'm really glad we chose a traditional 529 over the pre-payment option because we're not liking DS's Virginia options.

[Anonymous]

Prepaid was discontinued a number of years ago - it was an excellent option at the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:[twitter]

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Anonymous wrote:A degree from UVA is Ivy-league because UVA is one of the original Public Ivies.

Public Ivies offer the same standard of education as the Ivies, in a public school environment and at a public school cost. These schools are more than just non-Ivies — they're some of the best schools you can attend in the world today.

Just search "best public universities in USA" and you'll find UVA.

UVA and W&Mary are fine schools but they do not have the same peer group as ivy+. VT is not anywhere close.
The education is not the same for this reason. Classes cannot progress at the same depth and pace at a school with fewer than a quarter of the student body with top 1% scores, even lower at (VT). versus the ivy+ with half or more of the class with 99%ile sores, 3/4 or more with top 3% scores.
Do the pre-TO comparison and look up the SAT data from years they would have tested.

Using Pre-TO and the %iles at the time:
MIT, Harvard, Princeton, Penn, Yale, Duke, Brown, Stanford, Hopkins, WashU, Vanderbilt have medians around 99th%ile.
Dartmouth, Cornell, Northwestern, Georgetown, Williams, Amherst and Swarthmore are slightly lower ranges with median SAT /act around the 97-98%ile, slightly different but not likely felt significantly as a peer group experience.
Chicago and Columbia did not publish pre-TO data, likely were lower than the top group or they would have published.

UVA and William and Mary show median test scores around 94%ile, top quarter roughly corresponds to just below the median of the top schools. That creates a different peer group from the top two groups.
Virginia Tech has median test scores around the 85%ile. The top quarter of VT corresponds to the median of UVA/WM. VT is a significantly different different peer group from UVA and William and Mary, thus the educational experience will be different.

Peer group matters for teaching: professors know it, deans know it, and top companies and grad/professional schools know it.

My goodness, what a lot of hot air this poster is spewing. While I certainly don't dispute the fact that none of these schools Ivies, the bolded just made me laugh. You pretend to know a lot about things which you clearly know nothing. Kind of amusing, in a way.
DP

VT Engineering is well-regarded, the rest, not so much. UVa & W&M are in a different tier within the state.

Sorry, that’s nonsense. VT is highly regarded all-around. I’m an employer and we jump when we see applications from VT grads.

You *jump* when you see applications from the second largest university in the state? That should just be a normal day

VT grads are just better

Coming back after your last two replies were removed?

Put down the wine, sweetie.

So yes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[twitter]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A degree from UVA is Ivy-league because UVA is one of the original Public Ivies.

Public Ivies offer the same standard of education as the Ivies, in a public school environment and at a public school cost. These schools are more than just non-Ivies — they're some of the best schools you can attend in the world today.

Just search "best public universities in USA" and you'll find UVA.

UVA and W&Mary are fine schools but they do not have the same peer group as ivy+. VT is not anywhere close.
The education is not the same for this reason. Classes cannot progress at the same depth and pace at a school with fewer than a quarter of the student body with top 1% scores, even lower at (VT). versus the ivy+ with half or more of the class with 99%ile sores, 3/4 or more with top 3% scores.
Do the pre-TO comparison and look up the SAT data from years they would have tested.

Using Pre-TO and the %iles at the time:
MIT, Harvard, Princeton, Penn, Yale, Duke, Brown, Stanford, Hopkins, WashU, Vanderbilt have medians around 99th%ile.
Dartmouth, Cornell, Northwestern, Georgetown, Williams, Amherst and Swarthmore are slightly lower ranges with median SAT /act around the 97-98%ile, slightly different but not likely felt significantly as a peer group experience.
Chicago and Columbia did not publish pre-TO data, likely were lower than the top group or they would have published.

UVA and William and Mary show median test scores around 94%ile, top quarter roughly corresponds to just below the median of the top schools. That creates a different peer group from the top two groups.
Virginia Tech has median test scores around the 85%ile. The top quarter of VT corresponds to the median of UVA/WM. VT is a significantly different different peer group from UVA and William and Mary, thus the educational experience will be different.

Peer group matters for teaching: professors know it, deans know it, and top companies and grad/professional schools know it.

My goodness, what a lot of hot air this poster is spewing. While I certainly don't dispute the fact that none of these schools Ivies, the bolded just made me laugh. You pretend to know a lot about things which you clearly know nothing. Kind of amusing, in a way.
DP

VT Engineering is well-regarded, the rest, not so much. UVa & W&M are in a different tier within the state.

Sorry, that’s nonsense. VT is highly regarded all-around. I’m an employer and we jump when we see applications from VT grads.

You *jump* when you see applications from the second largest university in the state? That should just be a normal day

VT grads are just better

Coming back after your last two replies were removed?

Put down the wine, sweetie.

So yes

I don’t know what you’re talking about. Are you drunk from the Super Bowl?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A degree from UVA is Ivy-league because UVA is one of the original Public Ivies.

Public Ivies offer the same standard of education as the Ivies, in a public school environment and at a public school cost. These schools are more than just non-Ivies — they're some of the best schools you can attend in the world today.

Just search "best public universities in USA" and you'll find UVA.

And Virginia doesn't have a "reputable" private. It does have University of Richmond. Other than that, what other privates come to mind? So, they still treat UVA like it's their prestigious private but it is not a private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A degree from UVA is Ivy-league because UVA is one of the original Public Ivies.

Public Ivies offer the same standard of education as the Ivies, in a public school environment and at a public school cost. These schools are more than just non-Ivies — they're some of the best schools you can attend in the world today.

Just search "best public universities in USA" and you'll find UVA.

And Virginia doesn't have a "reputable" private. It does have University of Richmond. Other than that, what other privates come to mind? So, they still treat UVA like it's their prestigious private but it is not a private.

Virginia and Michigan are alike in that neither state has a notable private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A degree from UVA is Ivy-league because UVA is one of the original Public Ivies.

Public Ivies offer the same standard of education as the Ivies, in a public school environment and at a public school cost. These schools are more than just non-Ivies — they're some of the best schools you can attend in the world today.

Just search "best public universities in USA" and you'll find UVA.

And Virginia doesn't have a "reputable" private. It does have University of Richmond. Other than that, what other privates come to mind? So, they still treat UVA like it's their prestigious private but it is not a private.

Virginia and Michigan are alike in that neither state has a notable private.

UVA is to UMI as V Tech is to MSU. Or something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A degree from UVA is Ivy-league because UVA is one of the original Public Ivies.

Public Ivies offer the same standard of education as the Ivies, in a public school environment and at a public school cost. These schools are more than just non-Ivies — they're some of the best schools you can attend in the world today.

Just search "best public universities in USA" and you'll find UVA.

And Virginia doesn't have a "reputable" private. It does have University of Richmond. Other than that, what other privates come to mind? So, they still treat UVA like it's their prestigious private but it is not a private.

When I was looking in the 90s, my teacher gave us a ranked list of Virginia colleges. The top tier included:

1. UVA
2. William & Mary
3. Washington & Lee

The next tier included:
4. JMU
5. Virginia Tech

And I didn’t look any farther down the list. No idea where she got this information. Obviously, Virginia Tech’s star has risen since the late 90s. But my point is that Virginia has another well-regarded private, Washington & Lee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A degree from UVA is Ivy-league because UVA is one of the original Public Ivies.

Public Ivies offer the same standard of education as the Ivies, in a public school environment and at a public school cost. These schools are more than just non-Ivies — they're some of the best schools you can attend in the world today.

Just search "best public universities in USA" and you'll find UVA.

And Virginia doesn't have a "reputable" private. It does have University of Richmond. Other than that, what other privates come to mind? So, they still treat UVA like it's their prestigious private but it is not a private.

If it's private, it does not matter what state it is in. No cost difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A degree from UVA is Ivy-league because UVA is one of the original Public Ivies.

Public Ivies offer the same standard of education as the Ivies, in a public school environment and at a public school cost. These schools are more than just non-Ivies — they're some of the best schools you can attend in the world today.

Just search "best public universities in USA" and you'll find UVA.

And Virginia doesn't have a "reputable" private. It does have University of Richmond. Other than that, what other privates come to mind? So, they still treat UVA like it's their prestigious private but it is not a private.

Virginia and Michigan are alike in that neither state has a notable private.

UVA is to UMI as V Tech is to MSU. Or something.

Virginia Tech is much more selective than Michigan State. Mid 50s% compared to mid 80% acceptance rates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A degree from UVA is Ivy-league because UVA is one of the original Public Ivies.

Public Ivies offer the same standard of education as the Ivies, in a public school environment and at a public school cost. These schools are more than just non-Ivies — they're some of the best schools you can attend in the world today.

Just search "best public universities in USA" and you'll find UVA.

And Virginia doesn't have a "reputable" private. It does have University of Richmond. Other than that, what other privates come to mind? So, they still treat UVA like it's their prestigious private but it is not a private.

If it's private, it does not matter what state it is in. No cost difference.

Not talking about the $ factor. Just that the state of VA doesn't have a private university applicants think of when applying to colleges and universities from within VA. Think JHU (private) in Maryland.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well they are certainly better than UDC or UMD—location, size and atmosphere.

What??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A degree from UVA is Ivy-league because UVA is one of the original Public Ivies.

Public Ivies offer the same standard of education as the Ivies, in a public school environment and at a public school cost. These schools are more than just non-Ivies — they're some of the best schools you can attend in the world today.

Just search "best public universities in USA" and you'll find UVA.

And Virginia doesn't have a "reputable" private. It does have University of Richmond. Other than that, what other privates come to mind? So, they still treat UVA like it's their prestigious private but it is not a private.

If it's private, it does not matter what state it is in. No cost difference.

Not talking about the $ factor. Just that the state of VA doesn't have a private university applicants think of when applying to colleges and universities from within VA. Think JHU (private) in Maryland.

Nice try.
UVA > UMD

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A degree from UVA is Ivy-league because UVA is one of the original Public Ivies.

Public Ivies offer the same standard of education as the Ivies, in a public school environment and at a public school cost. These schools are more than just non-Ivies — they're some of the best schools you can attend in the world today.

Just search "best public universities in USA" and you'll find UVA.

And Virginia doesn't have a "reputable" private. It does have University of Richmond. Other than that, what other privates come to mind? So, they still treat UVA like it's their prestigious private but it is not a private.

Washington & Lee, or is that not reputable enough. No one treats UVA as a private anymore than one treats Michigan or UT Austin or UC Berkeley as a private.