The student population at Washington and Lee University is 2,241 (1,886 undergraduate and 355 graduate students) . The number of students has increased by 69 (3.18%) over the past decade.
The average student population over the last 11 years is 2,222 where 2,241 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 6 year-over-year increases and 3 decreases. It peaked at 2,277 students in 2024 and was lowest at 2,160 in 2017. Overall, enrollment rose from 2,172 to 2,241 students, a net gain of 69 (3.2%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Washington and Lee University since 2015.
| Year | Total | Undergraduate | Graduate | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Men | Women | Total | Men | Women | ||
| 2015-16 | 2,172 | 1,854 | 942 | 912 | 318 | 182 | 136 |
| 2016-17 | 2,160 -12 | 1,830 -24 | 945 3 | 885 -27 | 330 12 | 182 | 148 12 |
| 2017-18 | 2,220 60 | 1,827 -3 | 946 1 | 881 -4 | 393 63 | 215 33 | 178 30 |
| 2018-19 | 2,223 3 | 1,829 2 | 922 -24 | 907 26 | 394 1 | 206 -9 | 188 10 |
| 2019-20 | 2,264 41 | 1,860 31 | 929 7 | 931 24 | 404 10 | 208 2 | 196 8 |
| 2020-21 | 2,183 -81 | 1,822 -38 | 894 -35 | 928 -3 | 361 -43 | 185 -23 | 176 -20 |
| 2021-22 | 2,238 55 | 1,857 35 | 905 11 | 952 24 | 381 20 | 186 1 | 195 19 |
| 2022-23 | 2,243 5 | 1,867 10 | 916 11 | 951 -1 | 376 -5 | 188 2 | 188 -7 |
| 2023-24 | 2,277 34 | 1,898 31 | 927 11 | 971 20 | 379 3 | 194 6 | 185 -3 |
| 2024-25 | 2,241 -36 | 1,886 -12 | 922 -5 | 964 -7 | 355 -24 | 193 -1 | 162 -23 |
| Average | 2,222 | 1,853 | 925 | 928 | 369 | 194 | 175 |
The average number of Undergraduate students over the last 11 years is 1,853 where 1,886 students are attending the Undergraduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Undergraduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Washington and Lee University since 2015.
| Year | Total | Men | Women | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 1,854 | 1,851 | 940 | 911 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 2016-17 | 1,830 | 1,824 | 941 | 883 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| 2017-18 | 1,827 | 1,823 | 943 | 880 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 2018-19 | 1,829 | 1,825 | 920 | 905 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 2019-20 | 1,860 | 1,845 | 916 | 929 | 15 | 13 | 2 |
| 2020-21 | 1,822 | 1,821 | 893 | 928 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021-22 | 1,857 | 1,853 | 903 | 950 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 2022-23 | 1,867 | 1,859 | 911 | 948 | 8 | 5 | 3 |
| 2023-24 | 1,898 | 1,887 | 916 | 971 | 11 | 11 | 0 |
| 2024-25 | 1,886 | 1,886 | 922 | 964 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Average | 1,853 | 1,853 | 921 | 927 | 1,853 | 4 | 1 |
The average number of Graduate students over the last 11 years is 369 where 355 students are attending the Graduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Graduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Washington and Lee University since 2015.
| Year | Total | Men | Women | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 318 | 318 | 182 | 136 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016-17 | 330 | 330 | 182 | 148 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017-18 | 393 | 393 | 215 | 178 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018-19 | 394 | 394 | 206 | 188 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019-20 | 404 | 404 | 208 | 196 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020-21 | 361 | 361 | 185 | 176 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021-22 | 381 | 379 | 186 | 193 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2022-23 | 376 | 376 | 188 | 188 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023-24 | 379 | 379 | 194 | 185 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024-25 | 355 | 355 | 193 | 162 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Average | 369 | 369 | 194 | 175 | 369 | 0 | 0 |
The percentage of white students is 65.68%. The percentage was 80.43% 10 years ago and W&L still has a high percentage of white students. 5.22% of enrolled students is Asian and 5.22% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 8.70% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 80.43% to 65.68%. Asian enrollment grew from 3.13% to 5.22%. Black student enrollment increased from 2.58% to 5.22%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 4.37% to 8.70%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.5540 which indicates that moderately diverse. This increased from 0.3486 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Washington and Lee University over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
| Year | American Indian or Native American | Asian | Black | Hispanic | Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | White | Two or More Races |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 2 | 68 | 56 | 95 | 0 | 1,747 | 64 |
| 2016-17 | 2 | 66 | 51 | 94 | 0 | 1,747 | 71 |
| 2017-18 | 2 | 78 | 55 | 103 | 1 | 1,783 | 68 |
| 2018-19 | 2 | 86 | 65 | 105 | 0 | 1,769 | 79 |
| 2019-20 | 3 | 89 | 86 | 122 | 1 | 1,739 | 86 |
| 2020-21 | 1 | 93 | 86 | 138 | 2 | 1,661 | 85 |
| 2021-22 | 1 | 88 | 97 | 155 | 1 | 1,647 | 100 |
| 2022-23 | 3 | 96 | 96 | 175 | 3 | 1,603 | 93 |
| 2023-24 | 4 | 109 | 113 | 189 | 4 | 1,543 | 90 |
| 2024-25 | 3 | 117 | 117 | 195 | 4 | 1,472 | 88 |
| Average | 2 | 89 | 82 | 137 | 2 | 1,671 | 82 |
Washington and Lee University does not offer online degree/certificate programs. All Students have enrolled in on-campus programs.
Share your experiences and thoughts about Washington and Lee University. It will be a great help to applicants and prospective students!