University of Mary Washington

Our Mission

The University of Mary Washington is one of Virginia’s outstanding public liberal arts universities, providing a superior education that inspires and enables our students to make positive changes in the world. We are…

Rigorous

We are a place where faculty, students, and staff share in the creation and fearless exploration of knowledge through freedom of inquiry, personal responsibility, and service. We regard the provision of rigorous, high-quality instruction as a privilege and our most important function.

Through a professionally-engaged faculty, we support ongoing research appropriate to the development of student abilities and faculty interests. We especially champion the participation of undergraduates in research.

Passionate

Our size, enthusiastic and dedicated faculty, and historical commitment to fine teaching foster a culture where both undergraduate and graduate students benefit from genuine relationships with their faculty and multiple opportunities for active learning.

Community-oriented

We are the heart for engagement among vibrant, diverse communities and we are dedicated to supporting professional advancement and economic development and to improving the regional quality of life.

We fulfill our mission by fostering students’ intellectual and creative independence, facilitating their immersion in local, regional, national, and international communities, and by instilling the values of honor and integrity. Our graduates are models of adaptive learning, personal achievement, responsible leadership, caring service to others, and engaged citizenship in a global and diverse society.

Fast Facts

We are a premier, selective, coeducational, public institution that offers:

• Rigorous academics in small, highly interactive classes.
• Innovative and accessible master teachers.
• Three colleges – arts and sciences, business, and education – which produce graduates who are critical thinkers prepared to succeed.
• A supportive campus community that values honor and integrity.
• A civically, socially, and intellectually engaged community.

Location

We are located in Fredericksburg, Va., within an hour’s drive of both Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Va., providing students with unique internships, research excursions, and recreational opportunities. UMW has two other nearby campuses: one in Stafford, Va., which caters to graduate and adult degree programs; and another in Dahlgren, Va., which offers continuing education and professional development courses for the region’s engineers, scientists and administrative professionals.

Student Body

• Approximately 4,000 undergraduate students
• Students from about 34 states and many foreign countries
• About 26 percent of self-identified minorities
• About 56 percent live on campus in one of 17 residence halls or campus apartments
• 327 enrolled in professional studies and graduate programs

Faculty

• 86 percent have earned a doctorate or other terminal degree in their field
• Master teachers inspire our high-performing students—no graduate teaching assistants ever
• Eight faculty members have received Fulbright Awards to teach and research abroad since 2006.

Class Size

• Average undergraduate class size of 19 students
• 14 to 1 student:faculty ratio

The First-Year Experience

First-year seminar courses introduce students to the pursuit of intellectual inquiry. Seminars are designed to let students interact with outstanding faculty members while exploring nontraditional topics in nontraditional ways. Specific topics will vary from course to course, but all promise:

• College as you imagined it: a life of the mind taught by faculty
• Small classes, capped at 15 students each
• Active, discussion-based formats
• The development of writing and speaking skills

Study Abroad

• One-third of UMW students study abroad before graduation
• More than 15 programs are led by UMW faculty
• 7 exchange programs
• 147 approved programs in 51 countries
• $183,980 granted in UMW study abroad scholarships in the past three years

Student Life

More than 100 student clubs and organizations are centered around academic themes, the arts, sports and recreation, student government, cultural diversity, and other interests.