Washington and Lee University Sets Lower Tuition Increase

Washington and Lee University Sets Lower Tuition Increase

Tuition will increase by 4.9% for the 2025-2026 academic year.

(A college graduate staring at the sunset. | SOURCE: Adobe Firefly)

Washington and Lee University will increase undergraduate tuition by 4.9 percent to $70,100 for the 2025-2026 academic year. Adding mandatory fees for room, board, and activities, the total cost of attendance will reach approximately $90,970 for the upcoming academic year.

Last year, tuition increased by 5.5 percent, and the total cost of attendance was almost $87,000.

Tuition has grown by a cumulative 36 percent since the 2018-19 academic year, when it was $51,420. This growth exceeds total inflation over the same timeframe: as measured by the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index, overall U.S. prices increased by nearly 23 percent since 2018.

(Tuition, room, and board will all increase by 4.9% for the 2025-2026 academic year. | SOURCES: The W&L Spectator, Washington and Lee University)

The consistent upward trajectory aligns with trends observed at other elite liberal arts colleges. Forbes Magazine recently reported that several prominent institutions are implementing similar tuition hikes for the upcoming academic year, including Pomona College (5%), Carleton College (4.6%), Middlebury College (4.5%), and Wellesley College (3.9%).

The cost borne by students often differs significantly from the published sticker price after factoring in financial aid. U.S. News & World Report estimates that the average cost to attend Washington and Lee for the 2024-2025 academic year was $24,163, including grants and aid.

(Total cost of attendance tops $90,000 for the next academic year. | SOURCES: The W&L Spectator, Washington and Lee University)

Applying the same roughly five percent increase seen in the sticker price, the estimated average cost for the 2025-2026 academic year is approximately $25,371.

This average cost positions Washington and Lee higher than some of its peer institutions. For the 2024-2025 academic year, the average cost was $14,302 at Williams College, $18,571 at Pomona College, $19,589 at Amherst College, and $22,263 at Davidson College, according to data from U.S. News & World Report.

Washington and Lee emphasizes its policy of meeting 100 percent of demonstrated need through grants, scholarships, and work-study, without requiring loans. After last year’s historic $132 million gift from Bill Miller, ‘72, the university will also follow a need-blind admissions policy.

Their commitments aim to ensure that talented students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds can access the university, and the university reports that 67 percent of its graduates leave without student loan debt.

Even so, it remains to be seen whether W&L’s continued tuition hikes scare off prospective students who are not eligible for financial aid, especially those who come from middle-class backgrounds.

This article was drafted with AI assistance.