Bachelor's · Lexington, Virginia

Is Economics at Washington and Lee University worth it?

Low confidence Low confidence: fewer than 40 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back fast: graduates typically recover the cost in about 2.1 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $101,788; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $124,423; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $19,500; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $107k (likely $107k – $107k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $84k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in VA; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 2.1 years (likely 1.7–2.6); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $544k (likely $365k – $755k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $1.55M (likely $1.15M – $2.05M); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 96%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26