William & Mary Admission Requirements

Undergraduate Admission Application forms and admission viewbooks, which contain detailed information regarding undergraduate admission, including a profile of recent entering students, may be obtained by writing to the Office of Admission, College of William and Mary, P.O. Box 8795, Williamsburg, Virginia, 23187-8795.

Applications for regular admission should be submitted by January 15 for the fall semester and November I for the spring semester. Early Decision applications to the freshman class should be submitted by November I of the final year in secondary school. Applications submitted after these dates will be eval$uated in terms of the admission positions available at the time of application. No one will be admitted as a degree candidate later than one week prior to registration.

Since more students apply than can be accommodated, the College uses a selective process of admission. Through this process the applicant's total educational record is considered in relation to other students applying in an attempt to admit those with the strongest credentials.

College policy prohibits the awarding of a second baccalaureate degree.

Secondary School Preparation

Seeking students with a diversity of backgrounds, interests, and special abilities, and welcoming applications from all interested students, the College evaluates each application on its own merits and does not impose specific course requirements for admission. Most candidates, however, present as strong a college preparatory program as is available to them. Advanced placement, honors, and accelerated courses are strongly weighted in the evaluation process.

Candidates for admission typically present the following courses:
• English: Four years (literature and strong training in writing).
• Mathematics: Typically four years.
• Foreign Language (Ancient or Modern): Four years of one foreign language recommended.
• History and Social Science: Three years.
• Science (with laboratory):Three years.
• Elective Courses: Preferably advanced mathematics, history, natural science, English, music, art, drama, and other humanities.

Notificafion to Applicants

Since applicants are considered in relation to each other, notification letters are generally sent at the same time; Early Decision letters are mailed by the Office of Admission on December 1; regular decision letters are mailed by April 1. Letters to spring semester applicants are mailed December 5.

Tests of the College Entrance Examination Board

Freshman applicants are required to take the College Board Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) or the American College Test (ACT). Students choosing the Scholastic Assesment Test (SAT) option should register for the SAT-1 Writing SubjectTest. Both testswill be required for admission evaluation. Students can meet the college foreign language requirement either by completing the fourth level of one foreign language in secondary school or by scoring 600 or above in the subject test in a modern foreign language or 650 or above in Latin. Applicants intending to continue the foreign language begun in secondary school should take the subject test in a foreign language. Students who have not taken the subject test in secondary school are required to take it during freshman orientation week at the College. The placement of entering students in foreign language courses is made on the basis of these test scores.

Admission of Undergraduate Transfer Students

Transfer students are admitted for both the fall and the spring semesters. In order to be considered for admission, transfer applicants must be in good standing and eligible to return to their last institution of full-time attendance. Although students who have completed fifteen or more semester hours of work at an accredited institution are not normally required to take the Scholastic Assessment (SAT) Test or the ACT, scores from these tests are of substantial assistance in the evaluation of applications. Therefore, transfer students who have taken the Scholastic Assessment Test or the ACT should have their scores sent to the College. Students who have not fulfilled the College's language requirement are required to take the language subject exam if they plan to continue in a language previously begun. The placement of students in the required language courses is determined on the basis of these test scores. (Students who have taken language courses in college are not required to take this exam.) Transfer students should apply by November 1 for admission to the spring term and by February 15 for admission to the fall term. Letters to fall semester applicants are mailed by April 15.

Early Admission

The College is willing to admit as regular freshmen a limited number of students with outstanding records at the end of theirjunior year in high school. Such students are encouraged to seek diplomas from their secondary schools after completing their freshman year, and they must visit the campus for a personal interview.

Concurrent Courses

In addition to full early admission, the College allows qualified local students to take courses for college credit concurrentlywith their secondary school program. Initial approval should be requested through the high school administration prior to the filing of the unclassified application, which may be secured from the Office of Admission.

Admission as a Part-time Degree Student

Applicants may be eligible for admission as part-time degree students if they live in the Williamsburg area, meet the usual admission standards of the College, and can show compelling reasons why full-time status is not feasible. An interview must be scheduled with an admission officer. In determining whether part-time status is warranted, consideration will be given to the applicant's background. Normally, admission as a part-time degree studentwill not be granted if the applicant was a full-time student during the preceding academic year. A part-time degree student must earn a minimum of twelve hours each year (2 semesters and a summer term) from the date of enrollment and must complete all degree requirements in effect at the time of entrance as a part-time degree student and all concentration requirements in effect at the time of the declaration of concentration.

A maximum of 20 part-time degree students will be admitted in any one year, each assigned to an advisor who will stress the importance of building a coherent program. Part-time degree students will not be eligible for residence hall accommodations unless space is available after all full-time students have been considered.

Admission to Unclassified Status

Students admitted to the College under unclassified status fall into four categories: (1) employees of the College; (2) students who have already earned baccalaureate degrees; (3) concurrent high school students; (4) students eligible for eventual admission as part-time degree seeking students. Students admitted under unclassified status who later wish to become candidates for an undergraduate degree must submit the standard application to the Office of Admission before completing 30 semester hours, the maximum number applicable in this status. A student once admitted as a degree candidate at the College is not eligible for admission as an unclassified student. Those seeking unclassified status should speci this in requesting application forms from the Office of Admission. Unclassified applications must be received no later than two weeks prior to the first day of classes.

Eric J. Dawnkaski, November 6, 1997. ejd@physics.wm.edu