A Rich History

Throughout the past century, the principles that make Mary Washington strong have remained constant. The University’s students and faculty continue to embrace change, while remaining loyal to the founding ideas and defining characteristics that embody the Mary Washington experience.

The University was first established in the early 1900s as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women. In 1924, it was renamed State Teachers College at Fredericksburg to reflect rising educational standards throughout Virginia. In the 1930s, the College expanded its programs and began granting liberal arts degrees. Most noteworthy, the College gained a new identity and name: Mary Washington College, a public liberal arts college for women.

Change would come yet again in 1944 when the General Assembly voted to link the College with the University of Virginia. Mary Washington College of the University of Virginia thrived as the Commonwealth’s college of arts and sciences for women until it became autonomous with its own governing board in 1972. That decade also marked a significant change to Mary Washington, when it became coeducational and men were welcomed and admitted as full-time students.

In 1999, the College of Graduate and Professional Studies opened in Stafford County to address the demand for specialized educational services in the Commonwealth and the Fredericksburg area. In 2004, Mary Washington attained university status. Today, the Stafford campus enrolls more than 1,000 students in both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The Fredericksburg campus also has grown in size and mission and currently enrolls 4,000 students in more than 40 majors and programs of study.