Understanding the Cost of Attendance at the University of Mary Washington

Choosing a college is a significant decision, and understanding the financial implications is a crucial part of the process. The University of Mary Washington (UMW) offers a range of educational opportunities, but what does it really cost to attend? This article breaks down the tuition costs, financial aid options, and other expenses associated with UMW, providing a comprehensive overview for prospective students and their families.

The Sticker Price vs. Net Price

The "Cost of Attendance" is the total amount of money the average student has to pay, WITHOUT any financial aid, to attend a particular school. Think of it as a school’s sticker price. At the University of Mary Washington, the projected sticker price for the upcoming year is $34,383. However, the amount a student actually pays usually depends, at least in part, on their family's household income, and this is where the concept of "net price" comes in. This year at University of Mary Washington, we project that on average students will pay $23,909, while the advertised price of attendance is $34,383. That’s a difference of $10,474.

The Net Price is the total cost minus the total aid given. In other words, this is the price you have to pay to the school out of pocket. The average net price is a college’s cost of attendance minus the grants and scholarships you receive. The net price you pay for a particular college is specific to you because it’s based on your personal circumstances and the college’s financial aid policies.

Tuition and Fees

University of Mary Washington's tuition is $15,304 for in-state and $28,810 for out-of-state students. Compared with the national average cost of in-state tuition of $9,843, University of Mary Washington is more expensive. For students coming from out of state, the tuition is more expensive than the national average cost of out-of-state tuition of $19,613. These figures include both tuition and fees, also referred to as the sticker price. Fees differ by institution and may fund library services, student gym facilities, student centers, technology resources and campus health centers.

As you’re comparing costs of different institutions, also consider the total cost and the net price. The total cost is the sticker price, plus the cost of food and housing, books and supplies, and transportation and personal expenses. At University of Mary Washington, the total cost is $32,840 for in-state students and $45,760 for out-of-state students.

Historical Tuition Trends

Looking at how tuition costs have changed over time can provide valuable insights. Here's a breakdown of the net in-state price, in-state sticker price, and out-of-state sticker price at the University of Mary Washington over the years:

Year	Net In-State Price	In-State Sticker Price	Out-of-State Sticker Price
25-26	$23,909	$34,383	$52,165
24-25	$23,263	$33,454	$50,799
23-24	$22,634	$32,549	$49,469
22-23	$21,615	$31,084	$48,004
21-22	$21,863	$30,880	$47,306
20-21	$21,901	$30,038	$46,695
19-20	$22,569	$29,490	$45,916
18-19	$21,640	$28,626	$44,560
17-18	$20,892	$27,470	$42,716
16-17	$20,182	$25,826	$40,416
15-16	$20,499	$25,992	$40,156
14-15	$19,864	$25,068	$38,354
13-14	$16,780	$24,076	$36,946

This data shows a general trend of increasing costs over the years, highlighting the importance of financial planning.

Net Price by Income Bracket

How much a student actually pays usually depends, at least in part, on their family's household income. At University of Mary Washington this year, we project students with incomes over $110K will pay around $32,337, while students with incomes below $30K will pay around $12,319. That's a difference of $20,018.

The following table illustrates the projected net price at the University of Mary Washington for the 25-26 school year, based on income bracket:

Income Bracket	Projected Net Price
<$30K	$12,319
$30K-$48K	$13,703
$48K-$75K	$21,997
$75K-$110K	$29,092
>$110K	$32,337

Financial Aid: Grants, Scholarships, and Loans

Financial aid can include grants, loans, scholarships and work-study jobs. Financial aid packages vary depending on your financial need. Most colleges determine financial need based on your FAFSA. Financial aid can come in the form of grants, scholarships, and loans. Grants and scholarships are better than loans because students don’t ever have to pay them back.

Grants and Scholarships

We’re focusing on grants and scholarships first because they’re the most important forms of financial aid. Although it’s useful to know how many students get grant aid, it’s also important to know how much grant aid people tend to receive. So how much grant money do students at University of Mary Washington tend to receive? Altogether, this is bad news - at University of Mary Washington, FEWER students get aid, and each aid grant is LESS than average. The grant dollar amounts we’ve seen so far have included aid from all sources - both federal and institutional. To figure out how strong University of Mary Washington’s own financial aid program is, we’ll look at how they award their own (non-federal) financial aid dollars. Right away, it seems like University of Mary Washington offers less institutional aid than other schools. Second, this can also mean that the school just costs less than the typical school of its type.

Average Aid Package: The average aid package awarded is $14,883.
Need-Based Scholarship or Grant Award: The average need-based scholarship or grant award is $6,079.

Student Loans

Aside from grants, the other major way to pay for college is with student loans. The more student loan money you borrow, the more debt you’ll end up with after graduation. Ideally, you want to minimize your student debt as much as possible. It’s generally a bad sign if a school has many students taking out a lot of loans. First, let’s talk about how many students at University of Mary Washington actually have to take out any student loans at all. It’s very common for college grads in the US to graduate with some debt, but high percentages of students taking on loans at a particular school is a big red flag. It’s a good sign that lower numbers of students take out loans at University of Mary Washington.

Federal Loans: At University of Mary Washington, 47% of all students take out federal loans. At University of Mary Washington, the average annual federal loan amount is $5424.
Private Loans: At University of Mary Washington, 5% of students take out private loans. Just as important as the percentage of students with private loans is the average loan amount. The average private loan amount at University of Mary Washington is $12455. The percentage of students getting federal loans is greater than those getting private loans, which is a good sign.

Debt at Graduation

The typical amount of loans a student must pay back is $32,786. $18,833 average UMW student federal loan debt per undergraduate borrower in 2024.

Understanding Your Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

Once again, the Net Price is the total cost of attending, minus the aid you can expect to get (grants and scholarships). The US government has come up with a standardized way to calculate how much a typical family can afford to pay without help. As an example, a family that brings home $80,000 in income before taxes, with no assets and no other children in college, has an EFC of around $7,000. Colleges use this number as a guideline to decide how much aid to give you, but it's just a guideline. So we're going to calculate your EFC and compare it to University of Mary Washington's Net Price. If the Net Price is higher than the EFC, the school will cost more than you can typically afford. This tool will calculate your Expected Family Contribution, or EFC. In order to calculate this amount, we need just 4 pieces of information from you. According to the information you’ve entered above, your Expected Family Contribution should be about $. This is the amount that the federal government thinks you can afford to pay for school. Please note this tool is only an approximation, and your personal situation may cause your EFC to vary.

Financial Aid Dates and Application

Financial Aid Application Due July 1 The last day to apply for financial aid or turn in related paperwork. Priority Application Due Not available Applications received prior to this date will be given the strongest consideration. Still apply for financial aid if you don’t make this due date. Notification Date Dec 1 When students receive a letter with the amount and types of aid the college is offering. Response Due Not available The deadline for students to respond to the college’s aid offer.

Read also: William and Mary Law

Additional Financial Considerations

In-State vs. Out-of-State

The Cost of Attendance breakdown for University of Mary Washington differs depending on whether you’re in-state or out-of-state student - in-state students can expect lower costs for tuition and fees. Because University of Mary Washington is an out-of-state public institution, you'd be paying $12870 more than if you were an in-state student.

Surcharge for Excess Credit Hours

The Virginia General Assembly passed and the Governor signed a new law requiring that an undergraduate student entitled to in-state tuition must pay a surcharge on all satisfactorily completed credit hours that are in excess of 125% of the credit hours required for an undergraduate degree. The surcharge will apply to all in-state undergraduate students who are taking courses at a public, baccalaureate degree-granting institution of higher education in Virginia after August 1, 2006. At UMW, undergraduate students are required to complete 120 credits in order to graduate. The amount of the surcharge will be based on the difference in the rate paid for tuition by an in-state student and the actual cost of providing instruction. Generally, an in-state student pays about one half of the actual cost of instruction. For the 2025-26 academic year, this surcharge will amount to $366 per credit hour for all credits earned beyond 150 credits for undergraduate students. It’s also important to emphasize that some credits on a student’s record, such as Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) credits, will not count toward the surcharge total. If you have questions about the total number of credits on your academic record that would apply toward the surcharge threshold, please contact the Office of the Registrar.

Charges Billed to Students

‘CHARGES BILLED TO STUDENTS’ are estimated charges paid directly to UMW and vary based on student choices. ‘CHARGES BILLED TO STUDENTS’ are estimated charges paid directly to UMW and vary based on student choices. ‘CHARGES BILLED TO STUDENTS’ are estimated charges paid directly to UMW and vary based on student choices. ‘CHARGES BILLED TO STUDENTS’ are estimated charges paid directly to UMW and vary based on student choices.

On-Campus Job Opportunities and Research Funding

You can also earn while you learn, with more than 700 on-campus job opportunities. Plus, Mary Washington dedicates more than $1 million each year toward undergraduate research, paying students stipends and research funding to work side-by-side with faculty on projects that matter to them.

Value and Alternatives

To determine the value of University of Mary Washington, we're going to rely on reputable ranking lists. As a regional school, University of Mary Washington may not have the national reputation of schools like Stanford or Boston University, but it's still considered to be one of the best schools in its class. This means your classmates will be well above average and you'll belong to an exciting community. On the value ranking lists we used, University of Mary Washington didn't appear in the rankings. This usually means that, compared to other schools of its reputation, the net price is relatively high. Overall, we still believe attending University of Mary Washington is a good value, and it's likely to be a good investment in the long run.

Your next step should be to get a better idea of costs and aid availability at similar schools. If you’re interested in University of Mary Washington, you should check out some other high-value schools that could give you more bang for your buck. Get started here to check both in-state and out-of-state schools that might provide a better value. Finally, we're going to look at schools that might offer a better value than University of Mary Washington. To compile this list, we first find schools at similar academic levels, so you have a similar chance at getting in. It’s hard to know exactly what schools will be a great value for you without information on your family income. There are a lot of potential financial benefits that come with attending a school close to home. For example, in-state public schools tend to have subsidized tuitions for state residents.

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