Frequently Asked Questions

How many students attend Whitman College?

Whitman enrolls approximately 1,500 undergraduate students, from approximately 45 states and 70+ countries and sovereign nations.

How many first-year students typically enroll at Whitman College?

In most years, approximately 400 first-year students will enroll at Whitman.

How competitive is admission to Whitman?

Whitman is a selective college, receiving nearly 6,000 applications for admission and typically offering admission to about 50% of those applicants.

Does Whitman College have Admission requirements?

Whitman does not have specific admission requirements but strongly recommends the following high school course work: four years of English, four years of Math, three years of Lab Science, two or three years of Social Studies (History/Government), two years of a Foreign Language, and one year of Fine Arts. There is no minimum required grade point average, SAT score, or ACT scores.

What does Whitman College consider for admission?

Unweighted high school grade point average (G.P.A.).
Academic rigor in high school, demonstrated by course selection such as Honors, AP or IB courses if available.
Writing: Whitman uses the Common Application Personal Essay.
Teacher and Counselor Evaluations.
Activities and honors in and during high school. These include athletics, clubs, community service, music, theater, dance, debate, leadership, political and religious activities as well as employment.
Submitting ACT and SAT scores is optional. Please refer to Whitman’s testing policy for more information. Whitman does not have a preference between the ACT or SAT and will superscore both the ACT or SAT.

Can extra recommendation letters be sent?

Yes, students can send more than one recommendation, but a total of two is usually sufficient.

How does Whitman think about the use of AI in the application process?

For many students, especially those without access to professional guidance about the college admission process, AI can serve as a helpful collaborator in working on their personal essay, activities list, preparation for interviews, and other parts of the application process. It is acceptable for students to use AI as a tool to help them brainstorm ideas, but they should never copy and paste AI-generated content into their application.

What are the application deadlines?

There are three application deadline dates. Two of the dates correspond with our Early Decision program (ED) and the third is the deadline for regular decision applicants.

Early Decision I: November 15 (Notification: Mid-December)
Early Decision II: January 10 (Notification: Early February)
- NOTE: There is no difference between ED I and II, only the deadline dates are different.
Regular Decision: January 15 (Notification: Early March)

Does Whitman offer Early Decision?

Yes, Whitman offers an Early Decision program with two Early Decision application rounds. The deadline for Early Decision I is November 15, and for Early Decision II, January 10.

Early Decision allows students who have identified Whitman as their first choice college to apply by an earlier deadline in order to receive an admission decision earlier than they would by applying through the Regular Decision timeline. Early Decision is offered by many colleges with the expectation that a student who is offered admission will rescind their applications to all other colleges and enroll at the college to which they applied Early Decision (unless the family is able to demonstrate that they did not receive sufficient financial assistance from the college).

Does Whitman offer Early Action?

Whitman does not offer an Early Action program.

Are interviews required?

Interviews are optional, but are offered to rising seniors. Interviews can be helpful in discerning the match between the student and the College. The interview is a conversation in which both the interviewer and the prospective student can share information and ask relevant questions. Interviews also provide students with a way of explaining the information presented in the application more vividly. Schedule an interview.

How does Whitman look at AP coursework? Can a student receive college credit?

AP courses demonstrate a commitment to challenging coursework and are excellent classes to take for college preparation. We do give College credit to students with scores of 4 and/or 5 on the College Board Advance Placement Tests. A score of 5 is required for English (Language and Composition, and Literature and Composition), History (American, European and World), Economics (both microeconomics and macroeconomics), Music Theory, Spanish Language, Biology and Physics C.

How does Whitman look at IB coursework? Can a student receive college credit?

Whitman recognizes the International Baccalaureate Program (IB) and believes it serves as excellent preparation for a rigorous liberal arts college education. Credit may be given for scores of 5, 6, and 7 in selected higher-level IB examinations. A maximum of one year's credit (30 semester hours) may be earned.

How does Whitman look at Running Start and college-level high school courses?

Whitman will review credit earned through the Running Start Program and similar dual enrollment programs on a course-by-course basis. No transfer credit is applied toward a Whitman degree unless it is of average (C- or 1.7 on a numerical scale) or better quality. Credits awarded will be for classes at a commensurate level and in subject material relevant to the Whitman College liberal arts and sciences curriculum. Transferring more than 14 semester credits could result in fewer semesters of financial aid eligibility.

How can I check the status of my application?

After you have submitted your application through the Common App or Coalition App, you will receive an email giving you login instructions for the application portal.