How to Apply to Economics at Washington and Lee University: The Economics Department Sits in the Williams School and Awards the B.A., You Apply to the University and Declare the Major in the Winter Term of Sophomore Year, with Admission Routes and Prerequisites for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Washington and Lee University (W&L) is a private liberal arts university in Lexington, Virginia. Economics is taught by the Economics Department in The Williams School, and the degree type is listed as a Bachelor of Arts. The Williams School also houses accounting and finance, business administration and politics; see our business guide for business degrees. The application pages I read describe applying to W&L; they do not mention applying to the Williams School, a separate admission bar for it, or choosing a major at application, so this is not published there and you should confirm with admissions. This guide follows the W&L website for fall 2027 entry and covers US domestic, international (including Chinese) and transfer applicants.

1. Degrees, tracks and how you get into the major

• Degrees and tracks: economics is listed as a major with a B.A. I saw no Business Economics, Quantitative Economics or similar variants and no B.S. path. Rules for minors and second majors, and any STEM designation, are not written on the pages I read.
• Declaring: the department’s curricular advice says prospective majors are encouraged to declare in the winter term (January) of sophomore year. The pages I read state no GPA threshold, cap on places or minimum grades in required courses; this is not published there.
• Formal requirements: the department’s “Economics Major Requirements” page redirects to catalog.wlu.edu, a third-party Acalog catalog that I did not access. I therefore did not read the credit count or the number of electives; please check the W&L catalog. The curricular advice page says the required 2000-level courses are ECON 2002, 2003, 2010 and 2011; its sample schedules show ECON 1001 and 1002 as introductory courses and slots for six economics electives, but these are samples, not an official count.
• Honors thesis: prerequisites are ECON 2003, 2010 and 2011 and a 3.700 GPA in economics courses, with exceptions rare. Students ask the department head at any time in junior year, before registration for the senior fall, and university policy requires a written declaration of honors candidacy by May 1. Candidates take ECON 4903 (3 credits) in both the fall and winter of senior year (6 credits in total); after the fall the instructor must confirm a feasible research question, data and plan. A complete first draft is due by the last day of the winter exam period and the final draft by May 1.

2. Prerequisites and first-/second-year courses

• High school: the pages I read set no specific high school math requirements (algebra, precalculus, calculus) for economics; this is not published there. The applicant review page recommends four or more years of English, math, lab sciences, social sciences and a world language.
• Course order (department advice): take ECON 1001 and ECON 1002 in the first or sophomore year; then a 2000-level elective; then the required 2000-level courses (ECON 2002, 2003, 2010, 2011); declare in the winter of sophomore year. A MATH 1210 course appears in the sample schedules; the page does not say what it is or whether the major requires it.
• Math and graduate study: for graduate study in economics the department strongly recommends more math and computer science, calling multivariable calculus and linear algebra essential, and recommends Game Theory (ECON 3020) and Mathematical Economics (ECON 3010).
• Credit for AP, IB and A-Level exams: the economics pages I read do not say how AP Micro/Macro, AP Calculus or IB Economics map to ECON 1001 and 1002; this is not published there, so check the registrar and catalog. For domestic transfer credit, the department does not generally recommend transferring ECON 1001 or 1002 (they are foundational) and suggests a 2000-level elective that requires introductory economics; summer courses must meet at least six weeks; university extension courses (such as UCLA or Harvard Extension) cannot be transferred; you need pre-approval through the registrar’s Credit Transfer for U.S. Off-Campus Study form with a syllabus.
• W&L runs fall, winter and spring terms, and the department offers Spring Term study abroad courses in places such as Brazil, Denmark, Ghana and Nepal.

3. Rounds, deadlines and materials

• Early Decision I (binding): November 1, 2026, supplemental materials November 15, notification December 20. Early Decision II: January 5, 2027, supplemental materials January 15, notification February 1. Regular Decision: January 5, supplemental materials February 1, notification April 1. W&L notes that from the 2026–27 cycle the ED II and RD deadlines moved to January 5 from January 1. The international page gives “late January” for ED II notification while the main page says February 1; confirm with admissions.
• Apply with the Common Application, Coalition Application or QuestBridge. The Johnson Scholarship (W&L’s premier merit scholarship, covering tuition, housing and meals for up to 10% of each class) needs an additional essay of up to 800 words due December 1, 2026.
• Required: the application; an official high school transcript; two teacher recommendations; one counselor recommendation; the secondary school report form completed by a counselor; a signed Early Decision Agreement for ED; SAT/ACT optional.
• Essays: one longer essay on the Common App, Coalition or QuestBridge application, plus an optional “Why W&L?” response (250 words or fewer) and one of four optional short-answer prompts (250 words or a two-minute video); W&L says it has no preference between formats.
• Testing: the test-optional policy is extended for applicants entering in fall 2027. Scores can be self-reported and W&L superscores the SAT and ACT.
• Interview: W&L encourages an admissions interview if possible.
• Application fee: the pages I read say some applicants may qualify for a Common App or Coalition fee waiver but do not give the first-year fee amount; follow the application.

4. US domestic applicants

• W&L is private and the pages I read do not describe different prices for in-state students; all students pay the same charges (section 8). In-state preference is not mentioned.
• Testing is optional; the transcript, two teacher recommendations, the counselor recommendation and the school report are core materials.
• Aid: W&L says it is need-blind in admissions and meets 100% of demonstrated need through grants, scholarships and guaranteed campus work with no loans. An admitted undergraduate from a family with income below $200,000 with typical assets who meets eligibility requirements receives a grant covering at least full tuition. Need-based aid requires the FAFSA and CSS Profile.
• The Johnson Scholarship is open to all students and needs the extra essay.

5. International applicants (including those from China)

• Materials: in addition to the standard items, all school documents including recommendations must be in English; an internal secondary school transcript; official results for completed external examinations (for example IGCSE, CBSE) and predicted scores for upcoming ones (for example IB, A Level); proof of English proficiency; an optional InitialView interview. A very limited number of international applicants may be invited to interview, and an invitation or its absence does not signal the outcome.
• Testing: SAT/ACT is optional, but the testing page says students completing local, national curricula outside the U.S. should strongly consider submitting scores if testing is reasonably available, and the international checklist says scores are encouraged for national curriculum students.
• English proficiency: choose one or more of completing all years of secondary school taught in English, an IB English A score of 6 or 7, the Duolingo English Test, IELTS, TOEFL iBT, or an InitialView interview. Successful applicants typically report levels at or above DET 130, IELTS 7, and TOEFL 100 (taken before January 2026) or 5 (taken after January 2026, as the page words it). Self-reported scores are not accepted, nor are TOEFL Home Edition, iTP or Essentials; the DET is accepted only as an official result. Submission deadlines: November 15 (ED I), December 1 (Johnson Scholarship), January 15 (ED II), February 1 (Regular Decision).
• Aid and scholarships: W&L says international students receive both need-based and merit-based assistance; all merit aid goes through the Johnson Scholarship Program; admissions are need-blind and W&L meets 100% of demonstrated need without loans for every admitted student. Awards range from several thousand dollars to the full annual cost of attendance, and admission does not guarantee aid. For need-based aid submit the CSS Profile or request a CSS Profile fee waiver in the applicant portal by the aid deadline: December 1 (ED I), January 15 (ED II), February 15 (RD). International grants run four years based on the first-year application, are not negotiable after acceptance, and students who accept admission without a grant cannot get one later.
• Funding documents, credential evaluation, visa and I-20 steps are not described on the pages I read; ask admissions.

6. Applicants from China

• The W&L pages I read have no section for applicants from China and do not say whether Gaokao scores are considered; this is not published there, so contact admissions (admissions@wlu.edu, +1-540-458-8710).
• Transcripts and exam records: the international page asks for the internal school transcript and official results of completed external exams plus predicted scores for upcoming ones; it does not name Chinese exit or huikao exams, so whether to include them is not published there.
• Everything in the previous section applies: English proficiency (TOEFL 100, IELTS 7 and DET 130 are the levels typical of successful applicants), the optional InitialView interview and the CSS Profile for aid.

7. Transfer applicants

• How to apply: use the W&L Transfer Application; W&L does not accept the Common Application for transfers. The fee is $60. Entry is in the fall only; there is no January entry.
• Deadlines: the transfer page I read lists fall 2026 enrollment (priority March 1, 2026; final May 15, 2026) and does not give a fall 2027 transfer deadline; this is not published there, so ask admissions. Aid deadline: the main page says April 15, 2027 while the transfer page says April 16, 2026. Decisions are rolling after the class is set, historically late April through late May, usually before June 1.
• Materials: transfer application; high school transcript; official transcripts from every college; SAT or ACT (optional but recommended for fall 2027 entry); two letters from college professors; a college report affirming good standing; a mid-term report if currently enrolled. The application must be complete before review. W&L says successful applicants generally have a very strong high school record and college grades at the B (3.0) level or higher.
• Credit: no more than 60 credits; comparable in level, nature and field; from a regionally accredited U.S. institution with a grade of C (2.0) or higher; grades do not transfer, and the GPA counts only work attempted at W&L. Transfer students must complete at least six terms of full-time study at W&L. There is no formal credit evaluation before the tuition deposit.
• Transfer students are not eligible for merit aid but can apply for need-based aid.
• Entering economics: no economics-specific transfer requirement appears on the pages I read; it is not published there.

8. Costs, research and internships

• 2026-27: tuition $73,575; activity fees $715; technology fee $320; health service fee $250; room $10,580; board $9,995; estimated books and supplies $1,900 and personal expenses $2,545, for an estimated cost of attendance of $99,880. The pages I read list no extra economics surcharge.
• Research: the Summer Research Scholar program lets students work on faculty research projects over the summer (the department notes a January deadline); the department co-hosts a research seminar series with VMI; it runs a biennial Washington, D.C. career trip and Spring Term study abroad courses.
• Internships and clubs: Williams School co-curricular groups include General Development Initiative, Mock Convention, Real Estate Society, Student Consulting, Venture Club and the Williams Investment Society, and the Career and Professional Development Office organizes career trips. The pages I read do not list department-run internship places.
• Outcomes: the website lists employers such as Accenture, the Federal Reserve System and JP Morgan, and graduate schools such as the University of Virginia, Vanderbilt, University of Chicago and University of Maryland.

Checklist

US domestic applicants:

• Choose ED I (November 1), ED II or Regular Decision (January 5); two teacher recommendations, a counselor recommendation and the school report; testing optional; consider the Johnson Scholarship (December 1)
• After enrolling, take ECON 1001 and 1002 and the required 2000-level courses, and declare in the winter of sophomore year

International applicants (including those from China):

• Proof of English proficiency (TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo or another listed route), no self-reported scores; transcript and external exam results or predictions; optional InitialView
• Aid goes through the CSS Profile by your round’s aid deadline; whether the Gaokao is used: not published; ask admissions

Transfer applicants:

• W&L Transfer Application (not the Common App), $60 fee, fall entry only; ask admissions for the fall 2027 deadline
• Up to 60 credits with C or better; no economics-specific transfer requirement is published

Sources: Washington and Lee University, Economics area of study; Economics: about the major; Economics: curricular advice; Economics: honors thesis; Economics: transfer of domestic credit; Application options and deadlines; International applicants; English proficiency policy; Test-optional policy; Applicant review; Supplemental prompts; Transfer applicants; 2026-27 tuition and costs; International student aid. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 figures; dates on pages that carry no year should be checked against your entry year). Check W&L for the latest details.