Washington College believes in providing a holistic experience that cares for both the mind and body.
We support a campus that represents people of all backgrounds, and in doing so, we create a stronger community that better prepares students for the connected global society. We think beyond the typical student experience and focus on the well-being of our students and the challenges they face. This approach shapes the ongoing evolution of the student campus experience at Washington and creates a vibrant, active student life.
A Vibrant Campus Life
The Washington College residential experience offers a full range of exciting activities for students. You’ll find more than 80 clubs and organizations, varsity, intramural and club sports, live theatre, dance and music performances, volunteer opportunities, leadership roles and more. There are great places to hang out with friends like Java George, the Egg, or Goose Nest in Hodson Hall, or to hit the books with classmates in Miller Library. Need a break? Enjoy the peace and beauty of the Eastern Shore at the River and Field Campus or by paddling along the Chester River by kayak.
80+
Clubs & Organizations
A Supportive Community
Washington College has you covered when you need support. We provide a full array of services to help you succeed at Washington and beyond.
Academically, we offer a full range of services. From peer tutors and course mentors through the Office of Academic Skills to the staff of the Writing Center and the Quantitative Skills Center, you can find someone with the expertise to give you the boost you need.
But your life at Washington goes beyond the classroom. The College also offers a variety of programs to keep your physical and mental health in top shape. The Johnson Fitness Center serves as the hub for physical activity with classes and weight and cardio equipment available. Students also have access to pool and outdoor tennis facilities, and a field house with four tennis courts, a 200-meter indoor track, three basketball courts, and a batting cage, as well as outdoor volleyball and beach tennis courts.
Washington College Student Health Services provides an array of counseling options to support students and their mental well-being, whether that means meeting with an on-campus certified counselor or taking advantage of telecounseling. Additionally, our school safety officers are specially trained to offer support for mental well-being and in crisis situations.
Finally, Peer Mentors offer another layer of guidance and support for new students to promote an inclusive environment and ensure a successful transition to the Washington College community. Residents Assistants (RAs) are specially trained to help students navigate stressors and access resources. Community volunteers bring therapy dogs into Hodson Hall Commons each week.
Broadening Perspectives
One of the best parts of a liberal arts education is the chance to learn alongside people whose experiences and perspectives are different from your own. At Washington College, we welcome students from all kinds of backgrounds, and we work hard to make sure everyone feels supported and included. Beyond study in your chosen subjects, you learn how to engage with new ideas, cultures, and viewpoints in ways that will expand your thinking and prepare you for success after college. Our goal is to help you grow—personally, intellectually, and socially—while also giving you the tools to make a difference in your community and in the world.
Washington College offers more than a dozen student clubs and organizations that celebrate and support a variety of student identities and cultures, from the Black Student Union and SAGE (Supporting All Gender Experiences) to the LatinX Students Association and the Disability Rights, Education, Activism, and Mentoring (DREAM).
In the fall of 2023, Zach Affeldt '25 and Stephen Hook '25 saw a need on campus for more political engagement and education without partisan bias or rancor.
“There were some big political conversations on campus last semester and some real unrest,” Hook said. But he and Affeldt felt students had no place to meet and discuss their differences in a civil manner.
To fill that gap, they created PoliTalks, a club where students can debate and discuss political topics respectfully. The goal is to inspire political engagement on the campus level—which ties in nicely with Washington College's mission to inspire emerging citizen leaders.
In December 2023, PoliTalks brought their first major speaker to campus, Maryland Congressman David Trone.
Less than a year later, PoliTalks hosted a thought-provoking lecture titled "Disagreement is Democratic," featuring Heather Mizeur, a former state delegate known for her commitment to bridging political divides.
“The greatest risk we face right now as a nation is our polarization. We don't trust each other,” Mizeur warned the audience. "Respectful disagreement is the foundation on the road to the more perfect union we may still become."
That event was so successful—reaching capacity for Litrenta Lecture Hall—that PoliTalks brought Mizeur back for another event in the spring of 2025, this time sitting students and community members together at tables for a dinner following Mizeur's updated talk, encouraging respectful nonpartisan conversations across generational as well as political divides.
The spring dinner marked the culmination of Affeldt and Hook’s two-year effort as they prepared to graduate, but it was also the opening of the next chapter as PoliTalks announced its new leadership team: co-presidents Charlotte Schurman ‘27 and Grace Walsh '27, treasurer Calynn Nelson '28, outreach & media chair Grace Pitman '28, and Joe Atkins '28, member at-large.
Getting Competitive
Washington College fields 24 intercollegiate athletic teams, 20 of which compete at the NCAA Division III level, and is a member of the Centennial Conference. The men’s and women’s rowing teams compete in the Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference (MARC), the sailing team competes in the Inter-collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) and its Middle Atlantic conference (MAISA), and the trap and skeet team competes for conference and national championships within the ACUI Clay Targets program.
Washington College believes in the NCAA Division III philosophy that athletics are an integral part of a well-rounded college experience. The experience allows student-athletes to focus on their academic programs and the goal of earning a degree while pursuing their passions and building valuable skills in leadership and collaboration. In recent years the Shoremen and Shorewomen have enjoyed success in conference competition and sent a number of student-athletes and teams into national championship competitions.
The College also offers 10 club sports and 15 intramural sports for those who want to be involved in competition. The offerings run the gamut from rugby and flag football to Ultimate Frisbee and eSports. Cross country and track and field transitioned to varsity competition in Fall 2025.
Varsity Athletics
|
WOMEN'S |
MEN'S |
CO-ED |
|---|---|---|
|
Basketball Field Hockey Golf Lacrosse Rowing Soccer Softball Swimming Tennis Volleyball |
Baseball Basketball Golf Lacrosse Rowing Soccer Swimming Tennis |
Sailing Trap & Skeet |
15
Intramural Sports
10
Club Sports
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