Washington and Lee University Again Ranked in Top 15 Nationally

Lexington, VA • Aug. 19, 2005 — Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., has been ranked 14th among more than 230 national liberal arts colleges in the country, according to U.S. News and World Report magazine. In fact, the University has been ranked among the top 15 schools for twelve consecutive years.

Washington and Lee, with an enrollment of 2,100 students, is the ninth oldest university in the country and is the only school among those ranked with a law school and professionally accredited business and journalism programs. It numbers among its distinguished alumni Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell, novelist Tom Wolfe, news commentator Roger Mudd, Nobel Prize winner Dr. Joseph L. Goldstein and immediate past-president of the American Bar Association, Robert Grey.

It has educated four Supreme Court Justices, 27 senators and 31 governors. More presidents of the American Bar Association have come from Washington and Lee University than any school, save Harvard and Columbia.

"While we are always happy to be acknowledged by respected outside observers for our excellence, we are ever mindful that the true essence of a college education isn't something that can be quantified," said Acting President, Harlan R. Beckley. "How do you measure the importance of our tradition of honor to the learning experience, or the close relationship of teachers to their students? In fact, the most important element, the quality of teaching, can't be quantified at all. Nevertheless, U.S. News and World Report has become an important informational tool for parents and students, and we are pleased that they have recognized our excellence for many years."

Within the rankings, Washington and Lee placed fourth among the more than 230 liberal arts colleges in the number of entering freshmen in the top ten percent of their high school class.

Washington and Lee was ranked 7th in faculty resources and 7th in student selectivity (a combination of SAT scores, percentage of applicants selected, and freshmen ranked in the top ten percent of their high school class).

Cradled between the Allegheny and Blue Ridge mountains in Lexington, Virginia, Washington and Lee University has, since 1749, produced principled leaders with a commitment to civility, service, and honor. One of the nation's top fifteen liberal arts colleges and among its finest law schools, W&L offers a unique convergence of arts & sciences, law, commerce, and journalism.