William & Mary Acceptance Rate: Class of 2030 Admissions Statistics

The College of William & Mary admitted 6,001 students out of 17,432 applicants for the Class of 2030, resulting in an acceptance rate of 34.43%. The university released Early Decision (ED) I and II results in December 2025 and February 2026, respectively, followed by Regular Decision (RD) results in March 2026, providing a complete picture of the most recent admissions cycle.

In this blog, we’ll break down William & Mary’s overall, early, regular, waitlist, and transfer acceptance rates and explore how the university’s admissions trends have evolved over time.

• William & Mary Acceptance Rates
• William & Mary Early Decision Acceptance Rate
• William & Mary Regular Decision Acceptance Rate
• William & Mary Transfer Acceptance Rate
• William & Mary Waitlist Acceptance Rate
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Takeaways

William & Mary Acceptance Rates

William & Mary’s acceptance rate fell to 34.43% for the Class of 2030, down from 36.96% for the Class of 2029. The decline was driven by a larger applicant pool and fewer admission offers, with applications increasing from 16,895 to 17,432 while admits decreased from 6,245 to 6,001.

Although acceptance rates have fluctuated year to year, William & Mary has become more selective in recent admissions cycles. Here’s how the university’s admissions figures have changed over the past decade:

Note: Class of 2030 data comes from official admissions announcements, while data for Classes of 2021 through 2029 has been compiled from William & Mary’s Common Data Set.

Applications increased from roughly 14,000-15,000 per year for Classes of 2021 through 2024 to more than 17,000 in every cycle since the Class of 2025. The jump coincided with William & Mary going test optional beginning with the 2020–2021 admissions cycle, which may have encouraged more students to apply by removing the requirement to submit SAT or ACT scores.

Meanwhile, the number of admitted students remained relatively stable, ranging from 5,359 to 6,386 over the past decade. As application volume grew while admission offers changed relatively little, acceptance rates generally declined from their post-pandemic peak of 42.16% for the Class of 2024 to 34.43% for the Class of 2030.

William & Mary Early Decision Acceptance Rate

The Early Decision acceptance rate for William & Mary’s Class of 2030 was 47.32%, down from 49.76% for the Class of 2029. The decline was driven by a larger ED applicant pool, with applications increasing from 1,477 to 1,606 while the number of admitted students rose only slightly from 735 to 760.

Early Decision applicants have consistently fared better than those in the regular round, though the gap has narrowed somewhat as the early applicant pool has grown more competitive.

William & Mary Early Decision acceptance rate trends

William & Mary’s ED acceptance rate hit a decade-high of 58.24% for the Class of 2022 but has trended downward since, remaining below 50% in every subsequent cycle. Here’s a breakdown:

Note: All data has been sourced from William & Mary’s Common Data Set.

ED applications grew substantially over the past decade, rising from 1,021 for the Class of 2021 to 1,606 for the Class of 2030. While the number of ED admits also increased during this period, application growth outpaced admission offers, causing the ED acceptance rate to fall from a peak of 58.24% for the Class of 2022 to 47.32% for the Class of 2030. Even so, nearly half of all ED applicants were admitted in the most recent cycle.

William & Mary Regular Decision Acceptance Rate

The Regular Decision acceptance rate for William & Mary’s Class of 2030 was 33.12%, down from 35.74% for the Class of 2029. The decline was driven by a larger RD applicant pool and fewer admission offers, with applications increasing from 15,418 to 15,826 while admits fell from 5,510 to 5,241.

Unlike ED applicants, students applying through the RD round face a more competitive admissions process, with acceptance rates consistently lower than those in the ED pool.

William & Mary Regular Decision acceptance rate trends

William & Mary’s RD acceptance rate has generally declined since reaching a high of 41.37% for the Class of 2024. Here’s a breakdown:

Note: RD figures are estimates derived by subtracting ED data from overall totals in William & Mary’s official admissions announcements and Common Data Set.

RD applications increased from 13,900 for the Class of 2021 to a peak of 16,840 for the Class of 2026 before settling at 15,826 for the Class of 2030. However, admits grew at a much slower pace, ranging from 4,829 to 5,805 across all years. That imbalance helped push the RD acceptance rate from a high of 41.37% for the Class of 2024 to 33.12% for the Class of 2030.

William & Mary Transfer Acceptance Rate

The most recent available William & Mary transfer data comes from Fall 2025, with an acceptance rate of 45.69%. Here’s the breakdown:

Note: Fall 2025 transfer data is from William & Mary’s Common Data Set for 2025-2026, the same reporting year that includes Class of 2029 first-year admissions data.

William & Mary’s transfer acceptance rate of 45.69% for Fall 2025 exceeded the university’s 36.96% first-year acceptance rate for the Class of 2029. While admission is never guaranteed, the data suggests that transfer applicants faced less competition than first-year applicants during the same admissions cycle.

William & Mary Waitlist Acceptance Rate

The most recent waitlist data comes from the Class of 2029, when William & Mary admitted just 5.42% of students from the waitlist. Here’s the breakdown:

Note: The waitlist data is sourced from William & Mary’s Common Data Set for 2025-2026, the same reporting year that includes Class of 2029 first-year admissions data.

While admission from the waitlist is possible, the data suggests that only a small percentage of waitlisted students ultimately receive an offer.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is William & Mary’s current acceptance rate?

William & Mary’s most recent acceptance rate is 34.43% for the Class of 2030, with 6,001 students admitted from a pool of 17,432 applicants.

2. Is it easier to get into William & Mary through Early Decision or Regular Decision?

Early Decision is generally the less competitive option. For the Class of 2030, William & Mary’s ED acceptance rate was 47.32%, compared with 33.12% for RD.

3. How hard is it to transfer to William & Mary?

Transfer admission is competitive but generally less selective than first-year admission. For Fall 2025, William & Mary reported a 45.69% transfer acceptance rate, admitting 440 of 963 applicants.

4. What are my chances of getting off William & Mary’s waitlist?

For the Class of 2029, William & Mary admitted 103 of the 1,901 students who chose to remain on the waitlist, resulting in a 5.42% waitlist acceptance rate. Waitlist admission is possible but relatively uncommon.

5. Why has William & Mary’s acceptance rate declined in recent years?

William & Mary’s acceptance rate has declined as application volume has increased. The university received roughly 14,000–15,000 applications annually in the early 2020s but has attracted more than 17,000 applicants in recent admissions cycles, increasing competition for a relatively similar number of admission offers.

Takeaways

• William & Mary’s acceptance rate fell to 34.43% for the Class of 2030, down from 36.96% for the Class of 2029.
• The university received 17,432 applications for the Class of 2030, continuing a trend of elevated application volume in recent admissions cycles.
• Applying Early Decision remains a significant advantage, with a 47.32% ED acceptance rate compared with 33.12% for Regular Decision for the Class of 2030.
• Transfer admission was less selective than first-year admission in Fall 2025, with a 45.69% transfer acceptance rate, while only 5.42% of students who remained on the waitlist were ultimately admitted for the Class of 2029.
• As William & Mary’s applicant pool continues to grow, working with an admissions expert can help you build a stronger application and stand out in an increasingly competitive admissions process.