College of William & Mary

Also known as The College of William & Mary, William & Mary, W&M, College of William and Mary, William and Mary, College of William & Mary in Virginia, Collegium Gulielmi et Mariae in Virginia

Key facts

Type: Royal college (1693–1776) , Private college (1776–1906) , Public research university (1906–present)
Established: February 8, 1693 ; 333 years ago ( 1693-02-08 )
Accreditation: SACS
Religious affiliation: Nonsectarian , formerly Church of England and Episcopal Church
Academic affiliations: ORAU SCHEV URA Sea-grant Space-grant
Endowment: $1.72 billion (2025)
Chancellor: Robert Gates
President: Katherine Rowe
Rector: Charles Poston
Academic staff: 738 full-time, 183 part-time (2020)
Students: 9,818 (fall 2024)
Undergraduates

~40 min read

Article

The College of William & Mary (W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II, it is the second-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the ninth-oldest in the English-speaking world. William & Mary is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".

The university is among the original nine colonial colleges. In 1779, then led by James Madison, Thomas Jefferson and other reformers, it underwent a significant transformation that saw the abolition of the Divinity School, the establishment of the first university-affiliated American law school, and a modernization of the curriculum. It was one of the first American institutions to offer graduate instruction. William & Mary was also the first to adopt an honor code (1736). In 1750, its students founded the first collegiate secret and honor society, the F.H.C. Society, popularly known as the Flat Hat Club, followed by the Phi Beta Kappa in 1776, the first Greek letter fraternity.