The University of Mary Washington has been recognized as one of the nation’s best colleges for students seeking a great education with excellent career services at an affordable price, according to The Princeton Review. The educational services company named UMW to its list of Best Value Colleges for 2025, making it one of just five public universities in Virginia to earn this distinction.
UMW also received specialized rankings in two categories for public schools: #11 Top 20 Best Schools for Making an Impact and #18 Top 20 Best Schools for Internships. These rankings are based on student survey responses regarding factors such as community service opportunities, student government, sustainability efforts, on-campus student engagement and accessibility of internship placement.
Mary Washington joins an elite group of 209 outstanding institutions selected from more than 650 colleges and universities surveyed for the 2025 list. The Princeton Review chose schools that earned the highest return on investment ratings based on analysis of more than 40 data points covering academics, affordability and strong career prospects for graduates.
“We are honored to be recognized among the nation’s best value colleges,” said Provost Tim O’Donnell. “These lists highlight some of the hallmarks of a Mary Washington education, as we focus on an exceptional educational experience, connect students with meaningful practices through internships and community engagement, and prepare them for the careers ahead.”
UMW is among a select group of fellow Virginia public colleges – University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, James Madison University and William & Mary – on the prestigious list. The Princeton Review’s selections were primarily based on data from surveys of administrators, with criteria covering academics, cost, financial aid, graduation rates and student debt. The company also factored in data from student surveys about satisfaction with professors and financial aid packages, as well as PayScale.com’s alumni surveys about starting and mid-career salaries and job satisfaction.
“We congratulate the University of Mary Washington along with all of the other exceptional institutions that made our ‘Best Value Colleges for 2025’ list,” said Rob Franek, editor-in-chief of The Princeton Review. “They offer outstanding academics and excellent career services, and they demonstrate extraordinary commitments to affordability via generous financial aid and/or comparatively low sticker prices. For all of those reasons – and more – we recommend them highly to college applicants.”
This latest recognition adds to UMW’s growing list of national accolades, including recognition in The Princeton Review’s Best 391 Colleges guide and Green Colleges list, where UMW Theatre also makes the top 25 list. In addition, Mary Washington has earned a top 10 ranking among public liberal arts colleges by U.S. News & World Report and received recognition as one of the “Best Graduate Schools in America” for the MBA program by Money, a Poets&Quants ranking for undergrad business schools, and a top 10 ranking by the Peace Corps for volunteer-producing small colleges.
Daily tours, info sessions, weekend visits and open houses at Mary Washington are available through UMW Admissions and applications to apply to UMW are open now. For more information on The Princeton Review ranking, visit Best Value Colleges for 2025.
Leave a Reply