Washington and Lee Welcomes the Class of 2028

Office of Communications and Public Affairs
September 24, 2024

Washington and Lee University proudly welcomed 472 new undergraduate students to campus in August. The first-year students moved into residence halls, said goodbye to parents and families, and headed off to begin their Leading Edge orientation activities, where they were introduced to the campus community through shared, meaningful experiences designed to help them forge new friendships, acclimate to college life, and begin developing the necessary skills to flourish at W&L.

"The Class of 2028 includes students from 405 different high schools and is a diverse and talented group of individuals whose leadership, community engagement, curiosity, and perseverance stood out among the 8,140 applications we received this year," said Vice President for Admissions and Financial Aid Sally Stone Richmond. Twenty-two percent of the class are domestic students of color, ten percent are the first generation in their family to attend college, and nine percent are children of W&L alumni.

The class represents a pool of well-rounded and academically gifted leaders, including 32 Johnson Scholars comprising seven percent of the class and 30 QuestBridge finalists. W&L continues to recruit a geographically diverse class with 31 countries of origin and 40 U.S. states and territories represented. Twenty-four languages are spoken at home among members of this class, and students hailing from rural areas comprise 17 percent of the class.

"The university's commitment to making a W&L education affordable is evident in the Class of 2028," said Richmond. Sixty percent of the class is receiving W&L grant assistance, and the average need and/or merit-based institutional award is $67,552. In addition, 15 percent of this year's class are federal Pell Grant recipients, reflecting the university's commitment, as a member of the American Talent Initiative, to expanding access and opportunity for talented low- and moderate-income students.

The admissions team, through careful, holistic consideration, recruits, admits, and enrolls individuals who will contribute to W&L's vibrant community and benefit from the distinct and personalized education the university offers.

"It has been such a pleasure for the admission, financial aid, and Johnson program team to get to know these students during the admissions process," said Richmond. "They represent a remarkable range of accomplishments inside and outside the classroom and embody much more than just high-achieving statistics."

Members of the Class of 2028 have served as honor council members, student body presidents, state champion athletes and musicians, founders of dozens of clubs and non-profit organizations, family translators, and Eagle Scouts. They include a band member who opened for the Goo Goo Dolls and Prince, a CDC intern, an internationally ranked pianist, and a state chair for Young Journalists of America, and they have worked as a television commercial actor, assistant bear keeper, blueberry farmer, welder, and superhero at birthday parties.

Learn more about the incoming class here, and take a few moments to meet some members of the Class of 2028 in the video below:

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