Anonymous
Post 02/04/2026 13:26     Subject: What is so special about UVA, W&M, VT!?!??
OP is probably just trolling. However, one thing about these three schools no one has really mentioned is the peer group you're studying alongside. A lot of talented students attend these three schools, which makes the experience there all the better. At UVA and W&M especially, the peer group is near universally top-notch. Some state schools have stronger and weaker programs. These schools tend to be all-around excellent.
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2026 13:20     Subject: What is so special about UVA, W&M, VT!?!??
It is really the (in state) cost of the schools that is so appealing. They are just a good value. In addition, VA has two other choices, JMU and VCU, which are pretty good schools.

Other states do it differently. They have much larger but fewer state schools. Penn State is 47000. Pitt pushing 25000 and not sure about Temple, a little over 20,000? After these three there is a cliff.
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2026 13:03     Subject: Re:What is so special about UVA, W&M, VT!?!??
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.


Ivy is an athletic league.

There are no public “Ivies.” There are no little “Ivies.” Use of these terms is a symptom of insecurity.



Does not matter that it started as a sports league amongst select schools. People don't see it that way anymore except you.
Ivy is now a brand that attracts top students.
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2026 13:02     Subject: What is so special about UVA, W&M, VT!?!??
UVA in-state tuition + room/board = UMD OOS-tuition = $40K/year; So if attend UMD for STEM majors, the additional costs for Nova student is $15K of room/board. Not too bad an option.
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2026 13:00     Subject: What is so special about UVA, W&M, VT!?!??
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Instate tuition for Virginians.


This!


Honestly. People are such idiots today. They want to waste everyone’s time here instead of doing a simple google:

UVA: $40,000 a year x 4 = $160,000
Privates; $100k (yes NYU has surpassed the mark and USC is $99,400) = $400,000

$400,000 - $160,000 =$240,000.00


That’s higher if, like most parents, you haven’t saved $240k so are paying in after-tax dollars, so let’s say $300,000 savings x 3 VA kids = $1.2 million in savings.

So, if your kid can get in, bank the difference, let it compound, then pay to grad school or down pain a house.

We did this and were able to send our kid to Oxford and now Stanford Law School


That's great. And also true of virtually every state school.
NoVa folks are, in general, extraordinarily brand-conscious stivers, so you get a lot of them telling you loudly and persistently how great ***their*** state school is so they can feel special.
UVA is, indeed, a great state school. But that's what it is and there are lots of other great state schools as well.
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2026 12:57     Subject: Re:What is so special about UVA, W&M, VT!?!??
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.


Ivy is an athletic league.

There are no public “Ivies.” There are no little “Ivies.” Use of these terms is a symptom of insecurity.
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2026 12:52     Subject: Re:What is so special about UVA, W&M, VT!?!??
Anonymous wrote:Echoing the same things others have said- excellent schools at an excellent price (though W&M is on the pricier side to me).

However, not every VA kid wants to go to these schools, including my own.


If you think W&M is pricey, you don't have many choices unless you get merit.
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2026 12:49     Subject: What is so special about UVA, W&M, VT!?!??
This is just the usual troll trying to stir things up.
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2026 12:47     Subject: Re:What is so special about UVA, W&M, VT!?!??
Echoing the same things others have said- excellent schools at an excellent price (though W&M is on the pricier side to me).

However, not every VA kid wants to go to these schools, including my own.
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2026 12:45     Subject: Re:What is so special about UVA, W&M, VT!?!??
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.


William and Mary is recognized as a public ivy as well.
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2026 12:44     Subject: What is so special about UVA, W&M, VT!?!??
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Instate tuition for Virginians.


This!


Honestly. People are such idiots today. They want to waste everyone’s time here instead of doing a simple google:

UVA: $40,000 a year x 4 = $160,000
Privates; $100k (yes NYU has surpassed the mark and USC is $99,400) = $400,000

$400,000 - $160,000 =$240,000.00


That’s higher if, like most parents, you haven’t saved $240k so are paying in after-tax dollars, so let’s say $300,000 savings x 3 VA kids = $1.2 million in savings.

So, if your kid can get in, bank the difference, let it compound, then pay to grad school or down pain a house.

We did this and were able to send our kid to Oxford and now Stanford Law School


The last time you went through this song and dance, you claimed it was Yale Law. Please stop.
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2026 12:42     Subject: Re:What is so special about UVA, W&M, VT!?!??
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.


Oh dear. The delusional UVA booster is back.
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2026 12:28     Subject: Re:What is so special about UVA, W&M, VT!?!??
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.


Public ivy is a made up term. I’m so tired of ivy plus, little ivy, public ivy etc. not the same as ivies.

Bunch of private schools make up a sports league.

You: very real and respectable academic classification

Those schools and some others make up the “Ivy Plus Library Confederation” and the “Ivy Plus Exchange Scholar Program.”

You: “Just a made-up term. Football is obviously much more central to education than libraries or scholarship!”


Do you really think a library confederation is a meaningful term for anything more than sharing library resources?
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2026 12:26     Subject: What is so special about UVA, W&M, VT!?!??
Anonymous wrote:I am independent college counselor and I am from New England.

The only other state that has an elite trio like Virginia's is California. But the UC schools, especially Berkeley, have a huge class availability issue. Berkeley's 4-year graduation rate is in the low 80s as opposed to UVA's low 90s. I am not arguing that the UCs aren't impressive, they absolutely are, just that Virginia is the clearly second and in some ways better for students.

The only other states with three strong state schools are Florida and North Carolina. But the third school in these states are University of Southern Florida and UNC Charlotte respectively, and these can't compare to Virginia Tech. Georgia, Michigan, Texas - none of them have a very strong third school.

To OP: come on, OP. You may not care about affordability but is it such a misery why others do?


Virginia has a good range of options, particularly given the state doesn't lavishly fund higher education.

I can't really think of another state that has an equivalent of William and Mary. There are others with similar size, but not on history and reputation. There are state schools like Berkeley, Michigan, Texas, and Georgia Tech that have much greater scale and range in engineering than UVA, but Virginia Tech does a good job of covering that and UVA isn't nearly as large as those schools, which may appeal to some students. Going beyond these three, VCU is top tier in art and design fields, and other schools have strengths in specific areas.
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2026 12:13     Subject: What is so special about UVA, W&M, VT!?!??
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Look at it from the perspective of a full pay applicant.

Georgetown Acceptance rate: 12%

OOS UVA: 9%

It is not just Virginians who want to go to UVA.


Georgetown yield rate is 47%. UVA OOS yield rate is 24%.


This does not show IS and OOS split.
The bar is lower for UVA IS so that is a true backup for many Virginians.
UVA OOS is a harder admit.


24% is the UVA OOS yield rate. Georgetown is not a state school so there is no in-state/OOS split.


UVA's in-state yield rate is 2.6X higher than OOS yield rate. Clearly cost matters.



So applicants like private Georgetown much better or don't want to pay OOS for public UVA.