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Washington University in St. Louis

St. Louis, Missouri · Private, a large suburb · 7,857 undergraduates

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Is it hard to get into WashU?

The middle half of admitted students scored in these ranges: a quarter scored lower, a quarter higher. Fall 2024 admissions, from the College Scorecard.

Acceptance rate
12.1%
32,240 applied
SAT, middle half
1500 to 1570
Reading plus math, out of 1600
ACT, middle half
33 to 35
Composite, out of 36
Test scores this year
Optional: considered if sent
47% of admitted students enrolled
What they look at
  • High school GPAConsidered
  • Class rankConsidered
  • Courses takenRequired
  • College-prep programConsidered
  • RecommendationsRequired
  • EssayRequired
  • PortfolioConsidered

How much does WashU cost?

Sticker prices and what students actually paid after grants, by family income. A year means tuition, fees, room, board, books and other costs.

Tuition and fees
$69,594
A full year, sticker price
$92,523
Living on campus
Average price after grants
$13,360
Students who got federal aid

What a year cost, by family income

Family incomeAverage paid after grants
Under $30,000$2,578
$30,001 to $48,000$589
$48,001 to $75,000$7,361
$75,001 to $110,000$15,636
Over $110,000$47,130
Room and board on campus
$23,338 a year
Books and supplies
$1,357 a year
The school's own grants
48% of full-time first-years get one, averaging $57,007

Tuition over the years

Tuition and fees for a year, as reported to the federal government.

$0K$21K$41K$62K$82K201220142016201820202022WashU

How much do WashU students borrow?

Federal student loans only, for students who borrowed.

Typical debt at graduation
$15,250
About $173 a month over ten years
Students who borrow
5.9%
Get a Pell Grant
22%
Federal grant for lower-income families
Over 25 when they start
8%

What do WashU graduates earn?

Typical yearly pay of everyone who started here with federal aid, whatever they studied and whether or not they finished.

Six years after starting
$82,157
Ten years after starting
$91,497
Middle half: $63,077 to $149,165
Best-paid program, five years out
$206,525
Finance and Financial Management Services
Lowest-paid program, five years out
$66,272
Anthropology

Do WashU students finish?

Of the students who started full time, first time.

Back for second year
95%
Graduate in six years
92.8%
The four-year figure is for a later, smaller group, so it is not shown
After eight years
93% graduated
4% transferred, 0% still enrolled

Who goes to WashU?

Women
54.5%
First in their family at college
11.4%
Part-time
4.4%
Students per teacher
7
Background
White 40%, Hispanic 13%, Black 9%, Asian 21%, Two or more 6%, International 9%
Housing
Campus housing, 7,088 beds

What do WashU graduates earn, by program?

Every bachelor's program the school awards, with what its graduates earn and owe. The government hides pay for small programs, so some rows have no figure.

Computer science

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Computer and Information Sciences, General50HiddenHiddenHidden
Computer Science411$121,535$175,849$15,250

Engineering

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Biomedical/Medical Engineering116Hidden$108,028$17,741
Chemical Engineering66Hidden$115,090Hidden
Computer Engineering38HiddenHiddenHidden
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering51$91,446HiddenHidden
Engineering-Related Fields24HiddenHiddenHidden
Engineering, General10HiddenHiddenHidden
Engineering, Other1HiddenHiddenHidden
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering16HiddenHiddenHidden
Mechanical Engineering216$78,601$99,072$11,500
Systems Engineering37Hidden$120,481Hidden

Business and commerce

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Accounting and Related Services60HiddenHiddenHidden
Business Administration, Management and Operations41HiddenHiddenHidden
Business/Managerial Economics94$102,081HiddenHidden
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations57HiddenHiddenHidden
Finance and Financial Management Services306$108,590$206,525$20,750
Human Resources Management and Services74HiddenHiddenHidden
Management Information Systems and Services48HiddenHiddenHidden
Marketing149$66,898$126,365Hidden

Health sciences and kinesiology

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Health and Medical Administrative Services34HiddenHiddenHidden
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General9HiddenHiddenHidden
Health/Medical Preparatory Programs0HiddenHiddenHidden

Life sciences

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology68HiddenHidden$15,000
Biology, General190$26,927$71,175$14,423
Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology45HiddenHiddenHidden
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology39HiddenHiddenHidden
Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy11HiddenHiddenHidden
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology36HiddenHiddenHidden
Natural Resources Conservation and Research59HiddenHiddenHidden
Neurobiology and Neurosciences133$23,056Hidden$17,875

Math and physical sciences

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Applied Mathematics10HiddenHiddenHidden
Astronomy and Astrophysics7HiddenHiddenHidden
Chemistry76HiddenHiddenHidden
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences9HiddenHiddenHidden
Mathematics96$75,712$122,630Hidden
Physics28HiddenHiddenHidden
Statistics27HiddenHiddenHidden

Social sciences

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Anthropology174$36,515$66,272$15,000
Archeology0HiddenHiddenHidden
Area Studies47HiddenHiddenHidden
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology6HiddenHiddenHidden
Communication and Media Studies0HiddenHiddenHidden
Economics228$75,702$105,913$20,000
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies54HiddenHiddenHidden
International Relations and National Security Studies0HiddenHiddenHidden
Journalism0HiddenHiddenHidden
Political Science and Government157$57,981$100,473$17,000
Psychology, General8Hidden$88,712Hidden
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication5HiddenHiddenHidden
Research and Experimental Psychology351$41,685Hidden$17,897
Sociology43HiddenHiddenHidden
Urban Studies/Affairs7HiddenHiddenHidden

Arts and humanities

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics13HiddenHiddenHidden
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics20HiddenHiddenHidden
English Language and Literature, General54HiddenHiddenHidden
Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics8HiddenHiddenHidden
History64HiddenHiddenHidden
Iranian/Persian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics0HiddenHiddenHidden
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services10HiddenHiddenHidden
Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics5HiddenHiddenHidden
Philosophy31HiddenHiddenHidden
Religion/Religious Studies7HiddenHiddenHidden
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies33HiddenHiddenHidden
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics58HiddenHiddenHidden

Education (teaching)

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Education, General26HiddenHiddenHidden
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods9HiddenHiddenHidden
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas0HiddenHiddenHidden

Fine and performing arts

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Dance9HiddenHiddenHidden
Design and Applied Arts127$63,377$77,589$16,750
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft14HiddenHiddenHidden
Film/Video and Photographic Arts49HiddenHiddenHidden
Fine and Studio Arts72HiddenHiddenHidden
Music10HiddenHiddenHidden

Architecture and design

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Architectural Sciences and Technology63Hidden$66,900Hidden
Architecture31HiddenHiddenHidden

General arts and science (major chosen later)

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Classical and Ancient Studies9HiddenHiddenHidden
Cognitive Science127$39,205Hidden$17,750
Economics and Computer Science24HiddenHiddenHidden
International/Globalization Studies106$56,070$74,644$15,000
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities2HiddenHiddenHidden
Mathematics and Computer Science87HiddenHiddenHidden
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General0HiddenHiddenHidden
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other39HiddenHiddenHidden
Sustainability Studies4HiddenHiddenHidden

Compare WashU with other universities

Side by side: acceptance rates, scores, costs and pay.

Or the list of every university, by state.

Where these numbers come from

College Scorecard release 10152026, Most Recent Cohorts files, fetched 2026-10-20. Test policy: the school's page (opens in a new tab). Tuition history, housing and the school's own grants: the federal IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) survey.

How every figure in this part of the site is sourced, and the check of every link.

Careerhelp is not affiliated with Washington University in St. Louis. Figures describe past students; check the school's own pages before you apply.

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