Pathways to William & Mary

Richard Bland College is a branch of William & Mary. Both colleges are governed by the same Board of Visitors. This structure gives RBC students the opportunity to gain guaranteed admission to W&M.

Program Requirements

Conditions that must be met by students who enter RBC in or after Fall 2018 and want to transfer to W&M under the Guaranteed Admission Agreement:

• Complete the requirements for the RBC Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degree
• Earn a 3.25 cumulative GPA (excluding physical education courses). If courses are repeated, the original and repeated course grades will be included in the GPA calculation
• 45 of the 60 credits required for the associate degree must be earned in residence at RBC
• Students who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents and whose native language is not English must submit the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) as part of their application to W&M (W&M looks for the following scores: 100 and above on the Internet-based exam, 250 and above on the computer-based exam, and 600 and above on the paper-based exam)
• Eligibility for admission under this agreement is contingent upon meeting high standards of personal conduct (conviction of a felony or other evidence of behavior inconsistent with the W&M standards and honor code may be grounds for denying or rescinding an offer of admission)

Additional guidelines for applying to William & Mary under the Guaranteed Admission Agreement

• When applying, choose “Other Fee Waiver” since RBC students are not required to pay the fee
• Have a 3.25 cumulative GPA or better when applying
• Students can apply to transfer in the fall or spring semester
• Be prepared to submit mid-semester grades for the current term of enrollment
• W&M has a foreign language requirement and it is highly advised to complete this requirement prior to transferring.  You can complete this requirement by doing the following:
  • Passing the fourth level of a single language in high school
  • Completing through the 202 level in a single foreign language at RBC. Depending on the extent of your foreign language courses in high school, you may be required to take only one or two courses at RBC (example: if you complete Spanish II in high school, you need to complete Spanish 201 and 202 at RBC). Consult with RBC Foreign Language faculty to determine placement
  • Review the William & Mary catalog for other means by which to satisfy this requirement
• Students who intend to enroll in the Mason School of Business at W&M should complete the following prerequisites at RBC: Business 201 and 202 (Accounting I and II), Economics 201 and 202 (Micro and Macroeconomics), Math 201 (Calculus) or Math 207 (Business Calculus), and Math 217 (Introductory Statistics). Note that admission to W&M under the terms of the guaranteed admission agreement provides only for admission into W&M but not does not provide admission into certain degree programs in the Schools of Business and Education. Admission to these programs requires a separate application upon enrolling at W&M

 Financial Support

• As part of the transfer process, all students are strongly encouraged to complete a CSS PROFILE

The purpose of the William & Mary Bridge Program is to provide potential transfer students from RBC the opportunity to acclimate themselves to W&M. Richard Bland College students in the program take courses at W&M while pursuing their associate’s degree at RBC and working towards completion of the Guaranteed Admission Agreement.

Program Requirements

• Maintain a 3.25 or better cumulative GPA
• Be a full-time student with at least 15 credit hours from RBC
• Commit to attending classes at W&M on Tuesday and Thursday (you will need to adjust your RBC schedule to account for these extra credits)
• A Letter of Intent completed for the enrollment process
• Submit an official copy of your RBC transcripts

Financial Support

Students taking courses at W&M via the Bridge Program pay RBC tuition prices and have access to resources at W&M, including associated labs, libraries, and equipment.

The Promise Scholars is designed to ease transfer for high-ability, Pell-eligible students from Richard Bland College to William & Mary. Promise Scholars provides W&M courses at RBC, scholarship funds, guaranteed housing, peer-to-peer support, and mentorship to eligible students who have committed to transferring to W&M.