What makes WashU different
- Apply to a school, explore freely. Applicants choose a school such as Arts & Sciences, and can study across schools from there.
- Residential start. First-years live in one of 10 residential communities, and all first- and second-years live on campus.
- The WashU Pledge. Full rides for qualifying students from Missouri and Illinois, and full need met without loans for everyone.
What WashU students study
The most common bachelor's degrees (class of 2024): computer science (210), experimental psychology (126), finance (114), mechanical engineering (113), biology (96) and econometrics and quantitative economics (87). Source: IPEDS Completions, first majors only.
You may thrive at WashU if…
- You want a residential campus with a big city nearby.
- You're drawn to pre-health, the sciences, business or design.
- You'd like broad freedom to combine fields.
Worth asking about
- What's new about the early action round?
- How does PreHealth advising work?
How WashU compares with similar universities
WashU admitted 12.1% of applicants for fall 2024, and a quarter of its early decision applicants. See early decision, early action and test policies at all 19 universities.
FAQ
What is WashU's acceptance rate? 12.1% for fall 2024: 3,951 of 32,754 applicants were admitted.
What is WashU's early decision acceptance rate? 25.3% for fall 2024: 1,217 of 4,817 early decision applicants were admitted, compared with 12.1% of all applicants. Early decision is binding, and the early applicant pool differs from the regular one, so neither rate predicts any one student's chances. WashU also offers non-binding early action. Source
Does WashU require the SAT or ACT? No. WashU is test-optional for fall 2027 applicants and considers only the highest individual scores sent. Source
Does WashU charge out-of-state tuition? No. WashU is private, so published tuition and fees are the same for students from any state: $65,790 a year before aid. About 73% of first-year students came from outside Missouri.
How much is WashU tuition per semester? About $32,895 a semester, half the published $65,790 a year, before aid.
Is WashU an R1 university? Yes. In the 2025 Carnegie Classifications, Washington University in St. Louis is an R1 university, the group with the highest research spending and doctoral degrees. What R1 means →
How many students go to WashU? About 7,900 undergraduates (fall 2024).
What is WashU known for? Pre-health and the sciences, its residential campus and St. Louis.
How much does WashU cost? Published tuition and fees are $65,790 a year before aid, and the total cost of attendance is $88,488. Students who received aid paid $20,768 a year on average.
Wondering if a residential campus fits you?
Lens's assessments show which kinds of colleges fit how you learn and live. Start with Lens →