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Washington and Lee scholarships and merit aid

Two prices: the posted one, and yours.

Posted price$95,500per year · 2025-2026 · On-campus
Yours?depends on the rules below

The short answer

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.

Where does your student land?

Verified Jul 2026
5 school sources to explore

Published rules, with the school sources close at hand. Confirm the details before you count on an award.

The award collection

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.

Where does your student land?

  1. Johnson ScholarshipTuition and fees, housing and food, plus $10,000 for a summer experience (full ride; more than $89,000/yr)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Johnson Scholarship

    Tuition and fees, housing and food, plus $10,000 for a summer experience (full ride; more than $89,000/yr)

    Published coverage or packageNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Johnson Scholarship

    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.

  2. Max and Sylvia Weinstein ScholarshipFull tuitionNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Max and Sylvia Weinstein Scholarship

    Full tuition

    Published coverage or packageNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Max and Sylvia Weinstein Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Awarded to students of the Jewish faith. Students must apply for the Johnson Scholarship Program in order to be considered.

    How to keep it

    Renewable for four years.

  3. Regional Honor Scholarships (Keelty, Boyd, Dallas, Houston/Fox Benton, Carrere, J. Edward Lewis)Cover tuition for four yearsNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Regional Honor Scholarships (Keelty, Boyd, Dallas, Houston/Fox Benton, Carrere, J. Edward Lewis)

    Cover tuition for four years

    Published coverage or packageNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Regional Honor Scholarships (Keelty, Boyd, Dallas, Houston/Fox Benton, Carrere, J. Edward Lewis)

    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).

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The fine print

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.

What makes Washington and Lee different

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.

Merit tiers3See who qualifies
First-year students with school awards23%First-year students, CDS 2025-2026
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

Selection beyond grades and scores

Start with the selection process.

These awards are not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read each award's selection rules, application steps and dates. Meeting a minimum is not an award offer.

  1. Read the selection rules

    Look for the school's stated criteria and whether an additional application is needed.

  2. Check the application dates

    Confirm the current admission and scholarship deadlines directly with the school.

  3. Know what happens next year

    Check renewal, credit requirements and how other aid affects the award.

The fine print / Three questions to carry forward

Before you count on it.

Does it apply to us? Confirm the entering year, residency and every eligibility condition.

Can we keep it? Check renewal GPA, credits and how long the award lasts.

Can we combine it? Ask how outside scholarships and other school awards change the offer.

Take Washington and Lee's decision sheet

A printable research summary, source links and room for your questions.

See what could change an award

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

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

Source

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

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
  • Tuition & fees
  • Housing & food
  • Books
  • Personal

Fees combine activity ($695), technology ($320), and health service ($250). No travel or loan-fee line published.

Washington and Lee cost-of-attendance source

Cost and graduation facts

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 incomeAverage 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).

Source

More school data

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.

SAT mid-50%1430–153025th / 75th percentile
ACT mid-50%33–3425th / 75th percentile
Receive institutional merit23%First-year students
Average merit award$62,110Across recipients

Source: Common Data Set

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.

Source

Washington and Lee merit aid FAQ

  • What exactly does the Johnson Scholarship cover?

    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.

Compare with similar schools

Keep exploring Washington and Lee merit aid

The next chapter

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