William & Mary (W&M) is a public research university with a 1693 royal charter, combining a historic liberal-arts tradition with modern research, professional education, computing, business, law, education, and marine science. Founded in 1693 and based in Williamsburg, Virginia, the institution combines its historical mission with contemporary undergraduate, graduate, professional, and research activity. W&M combines the scale and close faculty contact of a selective residential institution with the research expectations of a public university. The Williamsburg campus is embedded in a major historic region of Virginia and is within reach of Richmond, Hampton Roads, state government, military, environmental, education, and technology organizations. Academically, William & Mary is organized around Arts & Sciences together with professional and graduate units in business, education, law, coastal and marine sciences, and computing, data sciences, and physics. Representative undergraduate fields include Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Data Science, Economics, Government, while graduate study includes Business Administration, Accounting, Business Analytics, Education, Computer Science. At W&M, doctoral and professional education is administered by the relevant schools under their own degree requirements. W&M students therefore encounter both broad university resources and program-specific advising, accreditation, research, or professional expectations. Teaching commonly uses seminars, writing-intensive courses, laboratories, field research, data analysis, honors work, faculty-mentored research, internships, study abroad, and professional-school practice. Research and creative work span history and humanities, public policy, economics, data science, computer science, physics, marine and coastal science, education, law, psychology, biology, and interdisciplinary inquiry. At W&M, depending on the field, students may work with faculty through laboratories, capstones, independent study, creative projects, clinical experiences, field placements, or research assistantships. At W&M, this gives academic work a practical dimension while preserving the disciplinary methods and scholarly standards of the selected program. At W&M, career preparation and student development are built into the wider experience. The Office of Career Development & Professional Engagement supports career exploration, internships, networking, employer recruiting, graduate-school planning, and professional skill building for students and alumni. W&M student organizations, service, leadership, cultural programs, athletics, international opportunities, and academic support add further routes for involvement. The Williamsburg setting can also extend learning beyond campus through employers, public institutions, schools, hospitals, cultural organizations, or community partners connected to the university’s programs. Admission and cost at W&M should be evaluated using current university rules. First-year applicants use the Common Application. W&M requires the application, high-school transcript, essay, and a counselor recommendation; additional recommendations and selected supplementary materials are optional. SAT and ACT results are completely optional under the current policy, and students may self-report scores if they choose to use them. Every application is read at least twice and reviewed contextually with attention to curriculum, achievement, writing, recommendations, activities, and the opportunities available to the applicant. Early Decision I: November 1; Early Decision II and Regular Decision: January 5 under the current first-year calendar. For 2026–27, Virginia-resident undergraduate tuition is $9,867 per semester, while nonresident tuition is $23,088.50 per semester. Mandatory fees bring the published semester totals to $13,617.50 for residents and $27,124.50 for nonresidents before housing and dining. Merit recognition includes the 1693 Scholars Program, James Monroe Scholars Program, Provost Scholar Awards, and William & Mary Scholars Program. All first-year applicants are automatically considered for these major merit awards under current policy.