The University of Lynchburg has signed a memorandum of understanding with the College of William & Mary’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business.
The partnership agreement, signed Friday, April 1, by Lynchburg President Dr. Alison Morrison-Shetlar and Dr. Nancy Hubbard, dean of Lynchburg’s College of Business, gives qualified Lynchburg graduates guaranteed admittance to pursue residential master’s degrees in accounting or business analytics at W&M.
In addition to guaranteed admittance, students are eligible for tuition scholarships of up to $7,500 for in-state students and $10,000 for out-of-state. Students also benefit from a streamlined admissions process — specifically, no entrance exams, application fees, or formal letters of recommendation.
The agreement goes into effect immediately.
Hubbard called the agreement a “big win” for Lynchburg and predicted it also would be a “significant admissions draw” for the University. She added that it gives students the opportunity to finish their bachelor’s degrees at Lynchburg and then move on to W&M, which she described as a “prestigious school” whose graduates have great outcomes.
Chartered in 1693, W&M is the second-oldest college in the United States and the oldest college in Virginia.
According to Hubbard, who described the MOU as “enormously significant,” W&M approached Lynchburg about forming the partnership. “It demonstrates that the other institutions in the state recognize how good our graduates are and are happy to forgo some of the entrance requirements that — if they weren’t our graduates — they would want,” she said.
