91¿´Æ¬Íø

Affording Opportunity

Scholarships and applied learning opportunities are among W&M’s top fundraising priorities

91¿´Æ¬Íø is committed to increasing access and affordability for its exceptional students, and to ensuring that each undergraduate has the opportunity for a funded internship or other applied learning experience. Since 2011, the university has raised more than $350 million for scholarships, and 35% of undergraduates now receive need-based aid. This support has not gone unnoticed: The Princeton Review has ranked W&M 13th among the best value public colleges.

As part of the university’s commitment to affording opportunity, 91¿´Æ¬Íø has successfully increased the enrollment of Pell Grant recipients from Virginia. In the 2023-24 academic year, W&M began ensuring scholarship aid to cover at least tuition and fees for all in-state undergraduate Pell Grant-eligible students. According to U.S. Department of Education data, more than 93% of Pell Grant recipients come from families earning less than $60,000 per year, and nearly half of all first-generation college students receive Pell Grants.

Currently, about 18% of in-state students are Pell Grant recipients, a number that has increased 30% over the past decade. Because of the difference in tuition for out-of-state students, scholarships for out-of-state students are also essential to help raise the percentage of undergraduate Pell Grant recipients from outside Virginia, now just over 4%.

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  Nearly $20 million has been secured for scholarships in FY23
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  $2.5-million scholarship and applied learning gift will open doors for Pell Grant-eligible students from outside Virginia
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  $1-million commitment from Darpan Kapadia ’95 accelerates Vision 2026 careers initiative
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  The applied research & innovation initiative will advance Vision 2026 goals, promote multidisciplinary collaborations and increase experiential learning opportunities
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  A new $1-million commitment from Mary Uhrig Phillips ’85 and Kevin Phillips ’84 includes 10-to-1 match on One Tribe One Day, support for scholarships and more
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  The Class of 1973 presented President Katherine A. Rowe with a check for more than $9.5 million, with $323,000 for the Class of 1973 Internship and Applied Learning Endowment to provide support for internships and/or applied learning experiences for undergraduate students
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  Two grants from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation will strengthen partnerships with African organizations and expand data on Chinese financing
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  Scholarship honors alumnus’ memory by funding the kinds of research and initiatives that were close to his heart