Elite Virginia liberal-arts college whose merit story is the Johnson Scholarship: up to 44 students a year get tuition, fees, housing, food, and a $10,000 summer stipend — a $89,000+ full ride — but you must apply by December 1 and clear an on-campus selection event.
Verified Jul 20262 months ago
The short answer
Is Washington and Lee worth a closer look?
Washington and Lee may be worth checking, but its awards do not follow a simple grades-and-scores chart. Start with the published scholarships below.
Merit tiers3See who qualifies
First-year students with school awards23%First-year students, CDS 2025-2026
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team
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Published scholarships
These amounts and requirements come from the school’s own published pages. Open an award to see who qualifies and how to keep it.
Tuition and fees…Tuition and fees, housing and food, plus $10,000 for a summer experience (full ride; more than $89,000/yr)
Johnson Scholarship
Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies+
Who qualifies
Up to 44 incoming students each year (roughly 10% of the first-year class). Must apply for the Johnson Scholarship by December 1. Finalists participate in an on-campus selection event and are notified in late March. Selected on academic achievement, demonstrated leadership, and potential to contribute to campus and civic life.
How to keep it
A four-year award covering tuition, fees, housing, and food, plus the one-time-style annual $10,000 summer enhancement funding. W&L does not publish a specific GPA renewal threshold on the scholarship page.
Regional Honor Scholarships (Keelty, Boyd, Dallas, Houston/Fox Benton, Carrere, J. Edward Lewis)
Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies+
Who qualifies
Students must apply for the Johnson Scholarship Program to be considered, except the J. Edward Lewis Scholarship Trust (West Virginia residents), which has a separate application process administered through JP Morgan.
How to keep it
Four-year tuition awards tied to specific geographic regions (e.g., Baltimore, Columbia SC, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, West Virginia).
These are the rules we would flag for your family. Each comes from Washington and Lee's published information.
Outside awardsNo published displacement order
Washington and Lee's policy doesn't specify whether outside scholarships hit loans, grants, or only the COA ceiling. Get a written aid-office answer before chasing private awards.
Straight from the aid office
What Washington and Lee's aid office says
Per the Financial Aid Office, Washington and Lee University, August 2026. How we verify
GPA type used once enrolled
Is the GPA used for scholarships weighted or unweighted?
Once a student is enrolled at W&L, the university uses an unweighted GPA, as far as the office knows.
“Once a student is enrolled at W&L, we use an unweighted GPA, as far as I know.”
Outside scholarship impact on aid
If my son wins an outside scholarship, does it reduce his loans first or reduce the scholarship already offered?
For outside scholarships, current policy is that need-based aid is reduced by half and loans by the other half when adjustments are needed.
“For outside scholarships, our current policy is that need-based aid is reduced by half and loans by the other half when adjustments are needed.”
Stacking outside scholarships with merit aid
Can an outside scholarship stack with his merit award, or is there a cap?
If a student receives merit aid, outside scholarships can stack with it as long as total aid does not exceed the full cost of attendance.
“If a student receives merit aid, outside scholarships can stack with the merit award as long as the total aid does not exceed the student’s full cost of attendance.”
Departmental awards and merit aid
Can his academic award stack with departmental or honors money?
Departmental awards and prizes vary; some may replace need-based aid, while others can be added to existing need-based or merit aid.
“Departmental awards and prizes vary. Some may replace need-based aid, while others can be added to existing need-based or merit aid.”
GPA required to keep merit award
What GPA does he need each year to keep the award?
Merit award GPA requirements currently range from 2.0 to 3.3, depending on the specific award.
“Merit award GPA requirements currently range from 2.0 to 3.3, depending on the award.”
Falling below required GPA
If he falls short one semester, is the award gone for good or can he earn it back?
If a student falls below the required GPA, there is a warning or probation period, and the award can be reinstated once the GPA requirement is met again.
“If a student falls below the required GPA, there is a warning or probation period. The award can be reinstated once the GPA requirement is met again.”
What families often miss
The Johnson Scholarship deadline is December 1, and applying for the Johnson program is also the gateway to nearly every other named merit award at W&L (Weinstein, the regional honor scholarships). Apply after December 1 and you are shut out of the full-ride and full-tuition merit pool, even if your stats are outstanding.
The W&L Promise gives full tuition to families under $150,000 and full tuition, room, and board to families under $75,000 — it is need-based and automatic at those income levels. The Johnson Scholarship is a competitive merit award given regardless of family circumstances to up to 44 students. They are separate programs; high-income families can still win Johnson, and low-income families get the Promise even without it.
W&L meets 100% of need with no loans and requires that all outside awards be reported. The public site does not publish how an outside award is applied, so it may reduce institutional grant rather than your family contribution. Call the Office of Financial Aid before counting on outside money to lower your net cost.
See award cutoffs and special programs+
The Johnson Scholarship — a $89,000+ full ride plus a $10,000 summer stipend for up to 44 students
The Johnson Scholarship is one of the most generous merit awards in American higher education. It covers tuition and fees, housing and food, and adds $10,000 in funding for a summer experience — a grand total of more than $89,000 per year. Up to 44 incoming students receive it each year, roughly 10% of the first-year class, and the award goes to students regardless of family financial circumstances. The catch is the timeline and the competition: the deadline to apply is December 1, and there is no fallback later date. Finalists are invited to an on-campus selection event and are notified of their status in late March. Selection weighs academic achievement, demonstrated leadership, and the potential to contribute to W&L's intellectual and civic life. The $10,000 summer enhancement funds are unusually flexible — students use them for study abroad, unpaid internships, research, or W&L's distinctive four-week Spring Term Abroad. For a family staring at a $95,500 sticker, this is a transformational award, but it must be pursued deliberately and early.
Exceptional high-stat leaders willing to apply by December 1 and attend an on-campus selection event for a shot at one of ~44 full-ride Johnson Scholarships (about 10% of the class). Also strong fits for families under $150,000 who qualify for the no-loan W&L Promise regardless of merit outcome.
Cost of attendance$95,500 for 2025-2026Each bar is the full published cost for that scenario, sized against the highest figure so totals compare at a glance.
On-campus$95,500
$71K
$20K
Tuition & fees
Housing & food
Books
Personal
Fees combine activity ($695), technology ($320), and health service ($250). No travel or loan-fee line published.
Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Washington and Lee, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.
Average annual net price by family income at Washington and Lee, academic year 2021-22
Family income
Average net price paid
$0–$30,000
$0 — grants exceeded costs by $1,777
$30,001–$48,000
$75
$48,001–$75,000
$4,497
$75,001–$110,000
$8,162
$110,001+
$40,646
All income levels (average)
$23,781
A net price shown as "$0 — grants exceeded costs" means average grant aid for students in that income bracket was greater than the full cost of attendance that year — a genuine reported outcome, not a data error.
Sticker price vs. what students actually pay
Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$68,045
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$23,781
That works out to roughly a 73% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $87,000 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).
Outcomes for students who enrolled here
Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
94%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
97%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$19,500 (~$207/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$94,810
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
12%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
13%
See other scholarships and cost examples+
If your student brings another scholarship
Washington and Lee runs a no-loan financial aid model and meets 100% of demonstrated need. All outside awards must be reported to the Office of Financial Aid, but the public pages do not publish a dollar-for-dollar displacement formula for how an outside scholarship interacts with institutional grant aid — call the aid office before assuming an outside award lowers the family bill rather than replacing existing grant.
W&L meets 100% of need with grant aid only and no loans, and through the W&L Promise offers full tuition to families under $150,000 and tuition, room, and board to families under $75,000. The first-year FAQ requires that all outside awards be reported to the Office of Financial Aid but does not state whether an outside scholarship reduces institutional grant, work, or the family contribution. Confirm with financialaid@wlu.edu (540-458-8717).
From the Washington and Lee Common Data Set 2025-2026:
Merit penetrationHow likely is merit aid here?From Washington and Lee’s Common Data Set: the share of first-year students who receive institutional merit and the average dollar amount when they do.
23%of admitsget merit
Average award$62,110Covers ~65% of $95,500 cost of attendance
At Washington and Lee, roughly 1 in 4 first-year admits receive institutional merit aid. The average award is $62,110 — about 65% of total cost.
Other Washington and Lee scholarships worth checking
These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.
Amount$750 National Merit award, plus a $3,000 Gaines Scholarship renewed each year for students not receiving need-based aidEligibilityNational Merit Finalists who designate W&L as their first-choice institution; the $3,000 Gaines portion renews each year for students not receiving need-based aid.
Johnson Scholarships cover tuition and fees, housing and food, and add $10,000 in funding for a summer experience — a grand total of more than $89,000 per year. Up to 44 incoming students receive it each year, about 10% of the first-year class, and it is awarded regardless of family financial circumstances.
How do I apply for the Johnson Scholarship and when is the deadline?
The deadline to apply for the Johnson Scholarship is December 1. Finalists participate in an on-campus selection event and are notified of their status in late March. Applying for the Johnson program is also how you are considered for W&L's other named merit awards such as the Weinstein and regional honor scholarships.
What can the $10,000 summer stipend be used for?
Johnson Scholars use their $10,000 enhancement funds for study abroad, living expenses while interning or volunteering, research, and W&L's distinctive four-week Spring Term Abroad programs in May. It is one of the more flexible summer-funding components attached to any major merit scholarship.
Can I get aid at W&L even if I don't win the Johnson Scholarship?
Yes. W&L meets 100% of demonstrated need with grant aid only and no loans. Through the W&L Promise, families earning under $150,000 receive full tuition without loans, and families under $75,000 also receive room and board. So strong need-based support is available independent of the merit competition.
What does Washington and Lee cost for 2025-26?
The estimated cost of attendance without aid is $95,500. The direct cost billed by the university is $90,970, which includes tuition of $70,100, room of $10,125, board of $9,480, plus activity, technology, and health fees. A full Johnson Scholarship is designed to cover that direct cost plus the summer stipend.
See sources and other schools+
How Washington and Lee compares
133 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use unclear or unpublished displacement.
Washington and Lee is in a recognizable cluster (133 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
133 of 749 verified schools publish no clear displacement order.
Washington and Lee is one of them. The right move is the aid-office email script below, not a guess.
665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Washington and Lee is one of them. The cohort minority (84 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.
Sources used on this page
Every claim is checked against Washington and Lee’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
