Private nonprofit · University
Washington University in St Louis
St. Louis, Missouri · Large suburb
- 12.1%
- Admit rate
- $21,786
- Avg net price
- 94%
- Graduation rate
- $86,182
- Median earnings
Washington University in St Louis is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in St. Louis, Missouri (large suburb setting), enrolling 7,857 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Washington University in St Louis's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 12.1%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1500–1570
- Avg GPA
- 4.19
Enter a test score to see where you land against Washington University in St Louis's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Washington University in St Louis's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Due to numerous major earthworks within St. Louis boundaries, the city was nicknamed "Mound City". These mounds were mostly demolished during the city's development. Sugarloaf Mound in South St. Louis was repatriated to the Osage Nation in 2025. The same year as the 1904 World's Fair, the Strassberger Music Conservatory Building was constructed at 2300 Grand. Otto Wilhelmi was the architect. In 1911, the conservatory had over 1,100 students. The building is presently in the National Register of Historic Places. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 6 miles to St. Louis, MO
- To Great Lakes shore
- 258 miles
- Nearest airport
- 8 miles to St. Louis Lambert (STL) · major hub
How Washington University in St Louis compares
More selective than 97% · #2 most selective of 44 in Missouri
Higher than 98%
Higher than 98% · #2 of 51 in Missouri
Higher than 93%
Higher than 94% · #3 of 53 in Missouri
Cheaper than 42% · #33 cheapest of 51 in Missouri
Lower than 86%
Lower than 92%
Larger than 86%
Percentiles compare Washington University in St Louis with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Missouri.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate7,85749%
- Graduate8,13751%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women4,19753%
- Men3,66047%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White40%
- Black8.7%
- Hispanic13%
- Asian21%
- Other or multiracial18%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 7,857
- Graduate enrollment
- 8,137
- Student–faculty ratio
- 7 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 18%
- First-generation students
- 11%
- Students over 25
- 8%
- Median family income
- $88,696
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $152,505
- Endowment
- $12,006,026,000
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 1,828 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Missouri12%
- Other U.S. states76%
- International12%
A national draw — only 12% of first-years come from Missouri; 76% arrive from other states.
12% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 12.1%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1500–1570
- SAT average
- 1530
- SAT reading
- 730–770
- SAT math
- 770–800
- ACT composite
- 33–35
- Average GPA
- 4.19weighted
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $65,790
- Room & board
- $21,854
- Books & supplies
- $1,304
- Total cost of attendance
- $88,488
- Average net price
- $21,786
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 94%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 85%
- First-year retention
- 95%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $78,073
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $86,182
- Median debt at graduation
- $17,500
- Students with federal loans
- 12%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 85%
About 9% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 7,088
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 90%
- Housing charge (year)
- $13,188
- Meal plan (year)
- $7,590
- Application fee
- $75
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
- Varsity athletes
- 690 (372 men · 318 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (10)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 3.5 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 47
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 125
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 4 campuses (16,357 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$5,578/year × about 4.1 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Washington University in St Louis discounts heavily: 48% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $57,007. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,808 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $86,182
- Typical debt at graduation
- $17,500
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 20%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 82%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.0 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $18,387 (24%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 90°F
- Winter low
- 25°F
- Annual rain
- 43.9″
- Annual snow
- 16.6″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, ST Louis Sci Ctr, MO US station (2.5 mi from campus).
What Washington University in St Louis graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Washington University in St Louis
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Washington University in St Louis side by side →
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia · Large city · 5 mi to Atlanta
- Students
- 7,298
- Admission
- 11%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1520
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $80k
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland · Large city · 3 mi to Baltimore
- Students
- 5,693
- Admission
- 6%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1553
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $88k
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island · Midsize city · < 1 mi to Providence
- Students
- 7,226
- Admission
- 5%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1546
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $93k
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois · Small city · 12 mi to Chicago
- Students
- 9,201
- Admission
- 8%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1533
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $89k
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee · Large city · 2 mi to Nashville
- Students
- 7,208
- Admission
- 6%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1549
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $92k
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana · Large suburb · 2 mi to South Bend
- Students
- 8,818
- Admission
- 11%
- Net price
- $27k
- SAT
- 1520
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $100k
Colleges near Washington University in St Louis
Concordia Seminary
Saint Louis, MO · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Paul Mitchell the School-St Louis
St. Louis, MO · Private for-profit · Certificate · 214 students
University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis
Saint Louis, MO · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 337 students
St Louis College of Health Careers-St Louis
Saint Louis, MO · Private for-profit · Certificate · 153 students
Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing
Saint Louis, MO · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 446 students
Ranken Technical College
Saint Louis, MO · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 1,780 students
Aquinas Institute of Theology
Saint Louis, MO · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 7,267 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.














