The Washington and Lee application cycle closed on Jan. 1. Eric Owsley, the director of admissions and financial aid communications, says this year is looking similar to last year’s application pool, which broke records for the number of applications received.
The admissions office is currently in the process of reviewing Early Decision II applications. They will finish in the next few weeks and release the results on Feb. 1, then start the process of reviewing regular decision applications. The office declined to share any numbers from this application cycle because the process is ongoing.
“[This cycle] was remarkably similar to the prior year, which was a sort of banner year for the number of applications for us,” Owsley said.
Last year, W&L received 8,969 applications, a 75% increase in the number of applications from 2016.
The university’s increase in applications mirrors national trends of growth in applicant numbers and the number of schools each student is applying to.
National data from a Common App report says that roughly 1.3 million first-year applicants submitted 7.6 million applications as of Jan. 1. This is a 4% increase in applicants and a 7% rise in total applications compared to this time last year.
“We are seeing more students nationally apply to more schools, and we are seeing students starting the process earlier,” said Owsley.
Owsley said that since more students are applying early decision, more of these applicants are going to be deferred or denied than in years past.
There has also been a national shift in applicant demographics, according to a report from Common App, which showed an increase in applications from low- and middle-income communities and first-generation students.
Washington and Lee has seen a similar shift this applicant cycle, Owsley said. He said these numbers continue to grow because of the university’s three-tiered promise to meet 100% of financial need, follow a need-blind admissions process and eliminate loans for qualifying students.
“We focus on the student. You don’t see anything about these students’ financial need when you’re reading the application,” Owsley said. “It’s a chance to only look at a capability and fit for Washington and Lee.”
Nationally, domestic application numbers are increasing, but applications from international students declined this past cycle. For the past decade, international applications were increasing, but the 2025-26 cycle shows a 7% decrease from last year.
Last year, W&L received a high number of international applicants, Owsley said. It is nearly the same this year, he said, with the total number of international applicants slightly down from last year by a percentage point or less.
The office of admissions posts a class profile every year once students have been admitted and enrolled. Owsley says information on students from this application cycle will be posted in the late summer or early fall of this year.
