Washington University in St Louis Overview

Washington University in St Louis is a private not-for-profit institution situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. WUSTL is located in a safe and convenient suburb.

What Is Washington University in St Louis Known For?

• WUSTL has an impressive student to faculty ratio of 7 to 1.
• The 1% student loan default rate at WUSTL is better than the national rate of 10.1%. That's a good sign that you may be able to pay off student loans easier than your peers at other schools can.
• The highest award offered at WUSTL is the doctor's degree.
• For the 2017-2018 academic year, 68% of the faculty were full-time.
• A student who earns a bachelor's degree from WUSTL makes roughly $70,100 a year. This is 72% more than their peers from other colleges and universities.
• It takes the average WUSTL student 4.1 years to graduate. This is pretty good when compared to the national rate of 4.4 years.

Washington University in St Louis Rankings

We have ranked WUSTL as #57 out of 2,587 colleges and universities in the country in our 2022 Best Colleges list. This lands it a coveted spot in the top 5% of all colleges and universities in the country. It is also ranked #1 out of 56 schools in Missouri.

These rankings may look different from those published by other outlets, because we use an outcomes-based approach rather than a subjective one. We get our data from a number of places, including the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the College Scorecard. For more information, check out our rankings and methodology page.

WUSTL has also been awarded the following overall awards by our latest rankings.

Rank	Ranking Name	Share
#1	Best Undergraduate Certificate Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#20	Best Associate Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#37	Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#41	Best Master’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#44	Best Graduate Certificate Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#58	Best Doctor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It

Program Level Awards

These are highlights of some of the most noteworthy awards granted to specific programs at WUSTL.

Rank	Ranking Name	Share
#2	Best Ethnic, Culture & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#6	Best Business, Management & Marketing Bachelor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#10	Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#18	Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#20	Best Psychology Master’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#20	Best Mathematics & Statistics Bachelor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#21	Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#29	Best Computer & Information Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#31	Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#65	Best Health Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It

Awards From Around the Web

The following table lists some notable awards WUSTL has earned from around the web.

Rank	Ranking Name	Source
#3	Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools	College Factual
#11	Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools	College Factual
#16	Best Business, Management & Marketing Schools	College Factual
#18	Best Psychology Schools	College Factual
#26	Best Business Schools	Business Degree Central
#35	Best Health Professions Schools	College Factual

Where Is Washington University in St Louis?

Contact details for WUSTL are given below.

	Contact Details
Address:	One Brookings Drive, Saint Louis, MO 63130-4899
Phone:	314-935-5000
Facebook:	http://www.facebook.com/wustl/
Twitter:	http://twitter.com/wustl

How Do I Get Into WUSTL?

You can apply to WUSTL online at: admissions.wustl.edu/

Admission Requirements for WUSTL

Submission	Required?
High School GPA	recommended
High School Rank	recommended
High School Transcript	required
College Prep Program	recommended
Recommendations	required
SAT or ACT Scores	considered but not required
TOEFL	considered but not required

How Hard Is It To Get Into WUSTL?

With an acceptance rate of 16%, WUSTL is one of the most selective schools in the country. If the admissions department requests additional materials, be sure to submit them promptly. This could be a sign that you're on the border line of being accepted or denied.

Approximately 47% of accepted students are men and 53% are women. The acceptance rate for men is 16%, and the acceptance rate for women is 16%.

Average Test Scores

About 37% of students accepted to WUSTL submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 720 and 760. Math scores were between 760 and 800.

WUSTL received ACT scores from 67% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT English scores ranged between 34 and 35. Math scores were between 30 and 35. Composite scores were between 33 and 35.

Can I Afford Washington University in St Louis?

The overall average net price of WUSTL is $59,875. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group.

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid.

Student Loan Debt

Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At WUSTL, approximately 19% of students took out student loans averaging $6,434 a year. That adds up to $25,736 over four years for those students.

The student loan default rate at WUSTL is 1.4%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you'll be able to pay back your student loans.

Washington University in St Louis Undergraduate Student Diversity

There are 7,653 undergraduate students at WUSTL, with 7,077 being full-time and 576 being part-time.

There are also 7,796 graduate students at the school.

Gender Diversity

Of the 7,077 full-time undergraduates at WUSTL, 48% are male and 52% are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

The racial-ethnic breakdown of Washington University in St Louis students is as follows.

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1,319
Black or African American	580
Hispanic or Latino	764
White	3,335
International Students	522
Other Races/Ethnicities	557

Geographic Diversity

Missouri students aren't the only ones who study at Washington University in St Louis. At this time, all 50 states and the District of Columbia are represented by the student population at the school.

Over 94 countries are represented at WUSTL. The most popular countries sending students to the school are China, South Korea, and India.

Online Learning at Washington University in St Louis

In 2019-2020, 13,103 students took at least one online class at the school.

The following chart shows how the online learning population at WUSTL has changed over the last few years.

This school is the 33rd most popular in Missouri for online learning according to the online graduations recorded by the Department of Education for the academic year 2019-2020.

Online Affordability Rankings of WUSTL

The following table shows how WUSTL is ranked for affordability for both in-state and out-of-state students among colleges and universities that are not mostly online.

Major	Tuition for In-State Students	Tuition for Out-of-State Students
Legal Research	#16	#16
Legal Professions	#37	#37

Online Growth Rankings of WUSTL

The average growth rate over the last four years of online students at Washington University in St Louis was 112.5%. This is the #390 largest growth rate of all schools that are only partially online. This refers to all students at WUSTL regardless of major.

When we speak of partially online, we are referring to schools whose online population is less than 50% of its total student body. Mostly online refers to those with online populations greater than or equal to 50%.

Washington University in St Louis Undergraduate Concentrations

The table below shows the number of awards for each concentration.

Major	Basic Certificate	Associate’s	Undergraduate Certificate	Bachelor’s	Graduate Certificate	Master’s	Doctor’s	TOTAL
Legal Research	0	0	0	0	89	306	7	402
Business Administration & Management	0	0	1	31	2	344	5	383
Finance & Financial Management	0	0	0	160	0	166	0	326
Computer Science	0	0	0	180	0	113	7	300
Social Work	0	0	0	0	0	247	9	256
Law	0	0	0	0	0	0	235	235
Child Development & Psychology	0	0	0	148	0	21	14	183
Mechanical Engineering	0	0	0	104	0	53	4	161
General Biology	0	0	0	115	0	36	0	151
Management Sciences & Quantitative Methods	0	0	0	0	0	145	0	145
Electrical Engineering	0	0	0	39	0	95	8	142
Anthropology	0	0	0	118	0	10	12	140
Economics	0	0	0	116	0	12	10	138
Medicine	0	0	0	0	0	0	121	121
Public Health	0	0	0	0	1	108	3	112
Architectural Sciences & Technology	0	0	0	26	0	80	0	106
Accounting	0	0	0	31	0	74	0	105
Mathematics	0	0	0	95	0	3	5	103
Political Science & Government	0	0	0	91	0	5	7	103
Marketing	3	0	0	97	0	1	0	101
Behavioral Science	0	0	0	0	0	61	37	98
Biomedical Engineering	0	0	0	59	0	20	15	94
Systems Engineering	0	0	0	70	3	18	3	94
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions	0	0	0	0	0	0	88	88
Business/Managerial Economics	0	0	11	68	0	0	0	79
Chemical Engineering	0	0	0	42	0	29	0	71
Information Technology	0	0	0	0	6	61	0	67
Applied Mathematics	0	0	0	0	0	61	0	61
International Studies	0	0	0	58	0	0	0	58
Chemistry	0	0	0	32	0	7	17	56
Fine & Studio Arts	0	0	0	34	0	17	3	54
Cognitive Science	0	0	0	53	0	0	0	53
Design & Applied Arts	0	0	0	53	0	0	0	53
Neurobiology & Neurosciences	0	0	0	36	0	0	16	52
Romance Languages	0	0	0	45	0	2	5	52
Physics	0	0	0	20	0	15	16	51
Human Resource Management	0	0	0	38	3	6	0	47
Ethnic Studies	0	0	0	43	4	0	0	47
Health/Medical Prep Programs	1	0	0	2	44	0	0	47
Other Engineering	0	0	0	0	0	27	16	43
History	0	0	0	28	0	9	6	43
Area Studies	0	0	0	29	7	6	0	42
Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology	0	0	0	34	0	0	7	41
General English Literature	0	0	0	18	0	8	6	32
Biomathematics & Bioinformatics	0	0	0	15	0	13	2	30
Microbiological Sciences & Immunology	0	0	0	7	0	0	23	30
Medical Science	0	0	0	0	3	27	0	30
Writing Studies	6	0	0	10	0	13	0	29
Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies	0	18	0	8	0	3	0	29
Computer Engineering	0	0	0	19	0	7	2	28
Engineering-Related Fields	0	0	0	15	7	4	0	26
Film, Video & Photographic Arts	0	0	0	21	2	2	0	25
Computer Information Systems	0	0	0	0	24	0	0	24
Communication Sciences	0	0	0	0	0	12	12	24
Health & Medical Administrative Services	0	0	0	15	0	8	0	23
Sustainability Science	0	0	0	0	0	23	0	23
Genetics	0	0	0	0	0	0	21	21
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering	0	0	0	0	0	21	0	21
Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology	0	0	0	14	0	1	4	19
Entrepreneurial Studies	0	0	0	19	0	0	0	19
General Education	0	0	0	13	0	6	0	19
East Asian Languages	0	0	0	12	0	2	5	19
Sociology	0	0	0	19	0	0	0	19
Cell Biology & Anatomical Sciences	0	0	0	0	0	0	18	18
Linguistics & Comparative Literature	0	0	0	13	2	0	3	18
Statistics	0	0	0	0	1	15	2	18
Natural Resource Management	0	0	0	17	0	0	0	17
Construction Engineering	0	0	0	0	1	14	0	15
Classical Languages & Literature	0	0	0	11	0	4	0	15
Philosophy	0	0	0	13	0	0	1	14
Geological & Earth Sciences	0	0	0	4	0	7	3	14
General Architecture	0	0	0	13	0	0	0	13
Public Policy	0	0	0	0	0	12	0	12
Music	0	0	0	8	0	1	3	12
Materials Engineering	0	0	0	0	0	11	0	11
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology	9	0	0	2	0	0	0	11
Drama & Theater Arts	0	0	0	7	0	4	0	11
General Psychology	0	0	0	9	0	0	0	9
International Relations & National Security	0	0	0	1	0	7	0	8
Germanic Languages	0	0	0	1	0	3	3	7
Other Public Administration	0	0	0	0	0	7	0	7
Dance	0	0	0	5	0	2	0	7
Mathematics & Computer Science	0	0	0	6	0	0	0	6
General Social Sciences	0	0	0	0	6	0	0	6
Botany/Plant Biology	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	5
Natural Resources Conservation	0	0	0	5	0	0	0	5
Religious Studies	0	0	0	5	0	0	0	5
Public Relations & Advertising	1	0	0	3	0	0	0	4
Liberal Arts General Studies	0	0	0	2	0	2	0	4
Classical & Ancient Studies	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	4
Health Sciences & Services	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	3
Materials Sciences	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	3
Geography & Cartography	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	3
Journalism	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	2
Teacher Education Grade Specific	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	2
Urban Studies	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	2
Architectural History	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
Biological & Biomedical Sciences (Other)	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Teacher Education Subject Specific	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
Economics and Computer Science	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
Archeology	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
Iranian & Persian Languages	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Middle Eastern Semitic Languages	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Somatic Bodywork & Therapeutic Services	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Interdisciplinary Studies	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TOTAL	24	18	12	2,439	206	2,399	792	5,890

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• Image Credit: By Bachrach44 under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.