William & Mary (W&M) vs Notre Dame

William & Mary and the University of Notre Dame, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. William & Mary, a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, boasts a lower acceptance rate (34%) compared to Notre Dame's 18%. Both universities excel in various disciplines, with William & Mary excelling in fields like history, public policy, and business, while Notre Dame shines in engineering, business, and the arts. Their student bodies reflect diverse backgrounds, with Notre Dame having a slightly larger undergraduate population. While William & Mary's graduation rate stands at 88%, Notre Dame's is slightly higher at 91%. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these universities' unique strengths and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
William & Mary logo

William & Mary

University of Notre Dame logo

University of Notre Dame

Overview

Location Williamsburg, Virginia Notre Dame, Indiana
Campus setting Suburb: Small Suburb: Large
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Public Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 93.0% 98.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation Catholic

Admission

Acceptance rate 36.5% 15.1%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $75

Graduate: $50
Undergraduate: $75

Graduate: $75
SAT range 1360 - 1520 1410 - 1550
ACT range 31 - 34 32 - 35
Students submitting SAT score 51.0% 33.0%
Students submitting ACT score 19.0% 36.0%
Total number of applicants 17,475 23,642
Total number of admissions given out 6,386 3,562
Admitted students who chose to enroll 1,684 2,059
Yield rate 26.4% 57.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Not required
Recommendation letters Required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Not required Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $40,624

Out of state: $63,850
$78,347
Average net price $18,399 $30,513
Tuition
In state: $17,434

Out of state: $40,089
$58,336
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $8,490

Meal plan: $5,246
$16,304
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

44.0%
Average amount $21,700
57.0%
Average amount $46,306
Students receiving federal student loan 22.0%
Average amount $5,132
30.0%
Average amount $4,134
Students taking out private loans 4.0%
Average amount $27,548
12.0%
Average amount $8,564

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 6,543
Men 41.6% Women 58.4%
8,973
Men 51.6% Women 48.4%
Graduate students 2,974
Men 42.7% Women 57.3%
4,166
Men 56.5% Women 43.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Low
Out-of-state students 35.2% 93.1%
International students 6.2% 12.1%
Campus local/setting Suburb: Small Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity 4,755 6,919
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from Virginia New Jersey Maryland Pennsylvania New York Illinois California Texas Indiana New York

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Legal Profession
  • Education
  • Social Sciences
  • Multidisciplinary Studies
  • Business
  • Engineering
  • Multidisciplinary Studies
  • Social Sciences
  • Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio 12:1 9:1
Institutional accreditation Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 91.0% 95.9%
Dropout rate 2.1% 3.9%
Transferred out 6.3% N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $71,208
  • Year 2: $71,202
  • Year 3: $87,886
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $64,972
  • Year 2: $66,087
  • Year 3: $81,526
Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $85,399
  • Year 2: $82,440
  • Year 3: $80,518
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $73,897
  • Year 2: $68,499
  • Year 3: $80,071
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $66,977
  • Year 2: $65,610
  • Year 3: $69,021
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $54,979
  • Year 2: $53,108
  • Year 3: $57,485
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $43,630
  • Year 2: $44,117
  • Year 3: $51,824
Public Policy Analysis (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $37,566
  • Year 2: $39,153
  • Year 3: $50,454
Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $34,517
  • Year 2: $29,685
  • Year 3: $48,118
History (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $26,414
  • Year 2: $29,685
  • Year 3: $47,651
Business Administration, Management and Operations (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $124,439
  • Year 2: $123,601
  • Year 3: $135,572
Finance and Financial Management Services (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $89,269
  • Year 2: $89,674
  • Year 3: $126,773
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $120,074
  • Year 2: $108,092
  • Year 3: $123,182
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $87,638
  • Year 2: $85,243
  • Year 3: $110,135
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $80,593
  • Year 2: $89,968
  • Year 3: $105,831
Mathematics and Statistics, Other (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $74,224
  • Year 2: $80,273
  • Year 3: $99,815
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $84,618
  • Year 2: $86,375
  • Year 3: $95,904
Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $74,178
  • Year 2: $74,307
  • Year 3: $92,866
Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $73,118
  • Year 2: $76,460
  • Year 3: $87,393
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $69,070
  • Year 2: $69,338
  • Year 3: $85,821

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
William & Mary W&M vs Alabama A & M University Alabama A & M University
William & Mary W&M vs University of Denver University of Denver
William & Mary W&M vs University of Connecticut University of Connecticut
William & Mary W&M vs Georgetown University Georgetown University
William & Mary W&M vs Emory University Emory University
William & Mary W&M vs Northwestern University Northwestern University
William & Mary W&M vs University of Notre Dame University of Notre Dame
William & Mary W&M vs McNeese State University McNeese State University
William & Mary W&M vs Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University
William & Mary W&M vs Boston College Boston College
William & Mary W&M vs Harvard University Harvard University
William & Mary W&M vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology
William & Mary W&M vs Tufts University Tufts University
William & Mary W&M vs Dartmouth College Dartmouth College
William & Mary W&M vs Rowan University Rowan University
William & Mary W&M vs Cornell University Cornell University
William & Mary W&M vs Binghamton University Binghamton University
William & Mary W&M vs SUNY College at Geneseo SUNY College at Geneseo
William & Mary W&M vs Davidson College Davidson College
William & Mary W&M vs Duke University Duke University
William & Mary W&M vs Elon University Elon University
William & Mary W&M vs University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
William & Mary W&M vs University of North Carolina Wilmington University of North Carolina Wilmington
William & Mary W&M vs Wake Forest University Wake Forest University
William & Mary W&M vs Miami University-Oxford Miami University-Oxford
William & Mary W&M vs Bucknell University Bucknell University
William & Mary W&M vs Brown University Brown University
William & Mary W&M vs Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University
William & Mary W&M vs Rice University Rice University
William & Mary W&M vs Texas State University Texas State University
William & Mary W&M vs University of Vermont University of Vermont
William & Mary W&M vs Christopher Newport University Christopher Newport University
William & Mary W&M vs Hampton University Hampton University
William & Mary W&M vs Liberty University Liberty University
William & Mary W&M vs University of Mary Washington University of Mary Washington
William & Mary W&M vs University of Richmond University of Richmond
William & Mary W&M vs Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University
William & Mary W&M vs Virginia Military Institute Virginia Military Institute
William & Mary W&M vs Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University
William & Mary W&M vs Stanford University Stanford University
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame vs Samford University Samford University
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame vs University of Arizona University of Arizona
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame vs University of California-Berkeley University of California-Berkeley
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame vs Sacred Heart University Sacred Heart University
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame vs Georgetown University Georgetown University
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame vs University of Georgia University of Georgia
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame vs Northwestern University Northwestern University
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame vs United States Naval Academy United States Naval Academy
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame vs Northeastern University Northeastern University
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame vs Fordham University Fordham University
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame vs Syracuse University Syracuse University
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame vs United States Military Academy United States Military Academy
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame vs University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame vs Wake Forest University Wake Forest University
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame vs Duquesne University Duquesne University
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame vs Baylor University Baylor University
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame vs Marquette University Marquette University
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame vs The Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University