When new students move to Williamsburg this August, the College of William and Mary’s undergraduate population will grow by 1,720.
The class of 2022 will be made up of 1,540 new students selected from a pool of 14,644 applicants, and 180 transfer students will be welcomed to the College for the first time.
Associate Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Admission Tim Wolfe ’95 M.Ed ’01 said that he is immensely proud and excited for all the new students coming to campus this fall.
“I think we have a great group in the class of 2022 and also a great group of transfers that are going to be joining us,” Wolfe said. “I know from reading their applications and having a chance to meet them and hear their stories throughout the year. I think they’re going to be a perfect addition to the William and Mary community.”
“I think we have a great group in the class of 2022 and also a great group of transfers that are going to be joining us,” Wolfe said. “I know from reading their applications and having a chance to meet them and hear their stories throughout the year. I think they’re going to be a perfect addition to the William and Mary community.”
Additionally, this freshman class includes 141 Monroe scholars, 28 students in the St Andrews William and Mary Joint Degree Programme, and eight 1693 scholars.
The class is 58 percent female and 42 percent male. 31 percent are students of color. Specifically, seven percent of these students are black, nine percent Hispanic, nine percent Asian or Pacific Islander and five percent multiracial.
Sixty-three percent of the class is in-state students and 33 percent is out-of-state students. The most highly represented states besides Virginia are New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland and Massachusetts. Wolfe also said that the number of students coming from California and Texas is rising.
Seven percent of students identify as international, mostly coming from China, South Korea and Canada.
Transfer students are primarily transferring from in-state community colleges and other in-state four-year institutions. Included in the class of 2022 are 15 students who took a gap year. Wolfe said that this statistic is fairly consistent and that the College usually has 10 to 20 students who deferred admission for a year.
Although class rank is used less and less frequently, 51 students in the class of 2022 are high school valedictorians, and 77 percent of students with class rank graduated in the top 10 percent of their classes.
The SAT middle 50th percentile is 1310-1490. The ACT composite score middle 50th percentile is 30-33.
Additionally, 10 percent of class of 2022 students are first-generation college students and 8 to 10 percent are student athletes.
Among the class of 2022, there are many new students are accomplished.
Katie English ’22 created a coloring book called “Color me Sheboygan,” featuring attractions in her hometown of Sheboygan, Wisconsin. She has sold more than 11,000 copies so far and plans to use the funds to create a community mural and develop programs at a children’s museum in Sheboygan.
Catherine Jones ’22, from Charlottesville, Virginia, founded her high school’s microfinance club, which has loaned more than $11,000 to 350 women in 65 developing nations. The club works to empower women and girls while learning about finance.
Madison Lee ’22, from Mechanicsville, Virginia, formed a free speech group to defend teachers suspended by the school board for allowing student expression and teaching diverse viewpoints.
Sam Suslavich ’22, from Ennis, Montana, is a certified private pilot and is currently working towards receiving his multi-engine certification. He is also a certified advanced open water diver, a cavern diver and an enriched air diver.
Kirsten Sweigart ’22 is an Irish Dance World Championships qualifier living in Oman. She is originally from Harrisonburg, Virginia.
College spokesperson Brian Whitson said that he is greatly anticipating the new students’ arrival and believes they are a very important addition to the College.
“There is so much excitement on campus for the entering class of new students,” Whitson said in an email. “They are academically accomplished and bring a wide range of diverse backgrounds and experiences. They are the future of William & Mary. We are thrilled to welcome this impressive class.”
“There is so much excitement on campus for the entering class of new students,” Whitson said in an email. “They are academically accomplished and bring a wide range of diverse backgrounds and experiences. They are the future of William & Mary. We are thrilled to welcome this impressive class.”
Along with all the new additions to the College this year, the admissions process is changing as well. Starting this year, there will be an early decision II option for students who choose to apply binding at a later date.
The application will be due January 1 along with regular decision applications, but applicants will receive their decisions earlier.
The College will also officially be using the Coalition Application alongside CommonApp beginning this fall. It was created by the Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success.
The aim of the group is to create an easier and more transparent application process, especially for students coming from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Wolfe said that this application is exciting because it increases accessibility to apply to the College, and it is the first time that Virginia Tech, James Madison University, the University of Virginia and the College will all be included in one application.
“I think to some extent … we’re always trying to do everything a little better and bring in the most exciting class we can,” Wolfe said.
