The bestselling Fiske Guide to Colleges has again included the University of Mary Washington on its annual list of the “best and most interesting.” UMW is one of 11 Virginia schools in the 2025 edition, and it’s on the short list of inexpensive public colleges and universities based on current tuition and fees.

The selective guide pulls together just over 300 universities and colleges in the United States, with quotes directly from students and stories that show what makes each school unique.

It all starts with academic quality, which stretches through the curriculum at Mary Washington. As one student notes, “Our freshman seminar courses were a great way to ease into college life and all that it entails,” while the publication concludes, “Nearly every major requires students to complete a capstone project or experience or to take a senior-level intensive seminar.”

Local partnerships and internships stand out, from historic preservation rooted in Fredericksburg to international affairs and connections to the nation’s capital of Washington, D.C. Philanthropic support is noted as a boost to the undergraduate research program, scholarships and summer opportunities, including the Summer Science Institute. Read more.

UMW also has been named a Tree Campus by the Arbor Day Foundation for the ninth consecutive year. Read the story. 

The University of Mary Washington is a premier, selective public liberal arts and sciences university in Virginia, highly respected for its commitment to academic excellence, strong undergraduate liberal arts and sciences program, and dedication to life-long learning. The university, with a total enrollment of about 4,000, features colleges of business, education and arts and sciences, and three campuses, including a residential campus in Fredericksburg, Virginia, a second one in nearby Stafford and a third in Dahlgren, Virginia, which serves as a center of development of educational and research partnerships between the Navy, higher education institutions and the region’s employers