Applications are LIVE!

We Admit It! Summer has been a little quieter in Williamsburg this year. We miss having a campus filled with prospective students and families, helping them decide whether William & Mary could be their next home. We miss having our Senior Interviewers in the office, bringing new perspectives and cheerful smiles. But despite all this, COVID-19 has provided us with the opportunity to create some positive change and innovation within our programming and application process. So while we missed you all this summer, we’re excited to see what comes next.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve had students calling and emailing, all of them waiting to hear when they could get started on their application. Well, today’s the day, our application for the Fall of 2021 is now LIVE! It can be found on both the Common App and the Coalition App, whichever application works best for you! We know that in these unprecedented times, it can be overwhelming to think of the college admission process; navigating the college research, the application process, and campus visits is complicated enough. But just know that we are working as hard as possible to make this experience a simple, and even enjoyable, process.

To start off, William & Mary has officially launched our Test Optional pilot program. For the first time in our history, first-time college freshman and transfer students will not be required to submit standardized test scores. Additionally, our interview process is now completely virtual! All rising high school seniors are eligible to sign up for a 30-minute interview with a current W&M senior, which is then included in your application! Previously these interviews were hosted on campus, but we are so excited to offer these virtually and help make them more accessible to students who can’t make it to Williamsburg. And if you have any questions about the process, feel free to contact your regional dean!

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In honor of our application launching, here are a few important dates and deadlines to remember for the fall as you make your college decision: 

For Freshmen

Early Decision I (binding admission) – November 1, 2020

Early Decision II (binding admission) – January 1, 2021

Regular Decision – January 1, 2021

For Transfers

Spring 2021 Transfer Admission – November 1, 2020

Fall 2021 Transfer Admission – March 1, 2021

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Additionally, here are a few more tips and tricks collected by our office to help you navigate the application process. 

• The date on which you officially submit your application has no bearing on whether or not you will be admitted, as long as you submit your application in advance of the above listed application deadlines. This is to say that whether you apply to W&M on August 1 or December 30 for Regular Decision admission, you will be given the same consideration for admission.
• We encourage you to complete your application sooner rather than later! Senior year can always be a bit hectic, so it is in your best interest to get as much of your college application(s) done before the school year gets increasingly busy.
• You can submit your application for any of the decision deadlines at any point. For example, just because you are a freshman applicant who applies by October 15, this does not mean that you are locking yourself in to being considered as part of the Early Decision (binding) process. There is a specific form that you need to complete along with your Common Application in order to be reviewed during our Early Decision process. So if you want to apply as part of the Regular Decision process, but also want to submit your application early, you may do so at any point between now and January 1. If you are a transfer applicant and have questions about when to apply, we encourage you to reach out to transfer@wm.edu.
• We begin processing submitted applications in the fall. In other words, if you apply to W&M sometime in August, you will likely not be hearing from us regarding the receipt of your application until the fall. Once we begin processing applications you will receive an email from us letting you know that we have downloaded your application. You will receive a second email once we have successfully “matched” your application with all required components – transcript, tests scores, etc. Should any required component of your application be missing, you will hear from us via email. As long as you have submitted your application by one of our application deadlines, we will work with you to make sure it is successfully completed.
• Regarding the W&M supplemental questions, we strongly encourage you to complete the final “Optional Essay.” Whether you apply to W&M or other great colleges and universities, these writing components of the application provide admission committees with a better opportunity to get to know you. So, in short, when completing your college applications, we would encourage you to complete all writing components of those applications.
• Should you ever have any questions about applying to W&M, you are welcome to contact our office. Similarly, should you experience technical difficulties while completing your application, you are welcome to contact the Common Application or the Coalition Application directly.

We know that this admission cycle will likely look different than what you were expecting. However, just know that we here at W&M are working tirelessly to provide you with new and exciting engagement opportunities to make the virtual college decision process as fun and informative as possible. And just remember: those who come here, truly do belong here.