Resources for Parents

UMW is located in historic Fredericksburg, Virginia, an hour south of Washington, D.C., and an hour north of Richmond, Virginia’s capital. This incredible location lends itself to a rich array of internship, research, and volunteer opportunities for intellectual and professional growth. Who knows, your student might even land a job before graduation.

UMW is surrounded by Fredericksburg’s Civil War battlefields, museums, quaint shops, and eateries in the same vein. Central Park and the East Coast’s largest shopping center are teeming with hundreds of the hottest retailers and restaurants. All of these attractions are a few miles away, UMW offers a variety of activities.

Seeing is believing. The first step in your family’s quest to find the perfect college will be a visit to our beautiful campus in historic Fredericksburg. You and your student will fall in love with everything from our stately Georgian architecture and quaint brick-lined walkways. To our enticing array of dining and entertainment options on and around campus.

UMW is consistently ranked as one of the country’s “best value” schools by such publications as Fiske Guide to Colleges, The Princeton Review, and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.

Subsequently, each year UMW administers more than $35 million in financial assistance, including educational loans totaling $19 million. As a result, the Office of Financial Aid is here to help students afford the education they deserve through an array of grants, scholarships, loans, and student employment opportunities.

Above all, from their first day on campus, all UMW students pledge to follow the Honor Code, agreeing to conduct themselves with integrity and commit to high ethical standards.

Moreover, for your student’s safety, emergency blue-light response systems are strewn throughout campus. Secondly, we provide a constant university police presence, safety escort services, and UMW Alerts – a network of text, email, and online messages notifying students and parents of potential emergencies or concerns both on campus and off.

Further, UMW’s Health Center includes a full-time physician, nurse practitioners, RNs, and an after-hours HealthLink phone service; it offers programs and services in education, prevention, and self-care. The campus is located less than five minutes from the region’s largest healthcare facility.

Students can tap into the offerings of Disability Resources, the Talley Center for Counseling Services, with individual therapy, group counseling, crisis intervention, consultation, and referrals; and more.

UMW students have a wide array of living arrangements from which to choose, from same-sex and co-ed residence halls to living-and-learning communities and apartments for upper-level students. For example, all residence halls have laundry rooms, vending machines, kitchens, TV rooms, study lounges, and recreational space.

Also, a tantalizing menu of meal plans and dining options is available. Like the meatloaf and mashed potatoes, you serve at home, from hearty dishes to fast-food fare, including pizza, pasta, burgers, and sandwiches – awaits. Meanwhile, the University Center houses all-you-care-to-eat buffets at nine specialty serving areas. Plus, an in-house bakery with fresh bread and pastries. We offer Global, vegan, vegetarian, and allergen-free options. Also, there are these delicious restaurants to choose from. Like Panera Bread, Katora Cafe, Hissho Sushi, Simply to Go at the Eagle’s Nest, and Vocelli Pizza.

For example, from Move-In Day and Honor Convocation all the way to Commencement, UMW will pack your student’s four-year UMW experience with activities. We offer more than 150 clubs and organizations and competitive NCAA sports teams. There is a calendar full of annual events, from Relay for Life to the Multicultural Fair.