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Washington University in St Louis

St. Louis, Missouri·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Plains·washu.edu
6-yr Graduation
94%
Total enrollment
16,357
peer median 15,726
Avg net price
$22,117
-$7.6k vs R1 Research
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
32,754
32,754 candidates competed
Admitted
3,951
12.1% acceptance rate
Enrolled
1,847
46.7% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
94%
4-year graduation
85%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
94%
Full-time retention
95%

Pell equity

2.0pp gap
Pell recipients
92%
Non-Pell
94%

Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates — a notably small equity gap.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 258 Title IV programs, 35 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 223 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
258
Passing
35
13.6% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

258programs
  • Passing35 · 13.6%
  • No Data223 · 86.4%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
35
No data
223

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

35
Biology General
Master's Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+27.0%
$68,165 vs $53,672
Public Health
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+27.9%
$76,874 vs $60,112
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+28.0%
$76,963 vs $60,112
Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies
Master's Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
+32.6%
$72,301 vs $54,534
Architectural Sciences and Technology
Master's Degree · Architecture And Related Services
+34.7%
$80,963 vs $60,112
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
First Professional Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+35.1%
$81,216 vs $60,112
Social Work
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
+38.2%
$63,805 vs $46,158
Behavioral Sciences
Master's Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
+41.6%
$75,887 vs $53,607

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

26
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
First Professional Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
147%
$119,594 debt · $81,216 earn
Architectural Sciences and Technology
Master's Degree · Architecture And Related Services
134%
$108,162 debt · $80,963 earn
Behavioral Sciences
Master's Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
122%
$92,922 debt · $75,887 earn
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
112%
$86,493 debt · $76,963 earn
Medicine
First Professional Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
110%
$99,000 debt · $90,449 earn
Social Work
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
90%
$57,535 debt · $63,805 earn
Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies
Master's Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
77%
$55,480 debt · $72,301 earn
Law
First Professional Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
68%
$96,448 debt · $141,243 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1913Next review Aug 2035

Programmatic accreditations · 12

Action history · 12

  1. Aug 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTD) - Programs leading to a Doctoral Degree
  2. Jul 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Clinical doctoral program in Audiology
  3. Apr 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTM) - Programs leading to a Master's Degree
  4. Jan 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  5. Jun 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Liaison Committee on Medical Education · Medicine (MED) - Programs leading to the M.D. degree

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$4,391
$30–48k$2,321
$48–75k$1,863
$75–110k$19,344
$110k+$42,712

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$22,117
-$7,627vs R1 Research median $29,745
Federal loans
14.3%
In-state tuition
$62,982
Out-of-state
$62,982

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 1,841 students received $11.5M in Pell grants, alongside $51.2M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,841
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$11.5M
$11,512,799 total
Direct Loans
$51.2M
2,798 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
2k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$1.1M
280 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$1.5M
342 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$25.0M
1,314 loan awards
Parent PLUS$3.6M
110 loan awards
Grad PLUS$20.0M
752 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 1,612 borrowers who entered repayment, 7 (0.4%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.4%
-1.9pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
1,612
Defaulted
7
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
1.5%
2017
1.4%
2018
1.1%
2019
0.4%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at WASHU

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs196
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

5,088 total completions
01Business
1,27925.1%
02Engineering
69513.7%
03Legal Professions
57711.3%
04Biological Sciences
4328.5%
05Computer Sciences
4328.5%
06Multi/Interdisciplinary
3807.5%
07Health Professions
3757.4%
08Social Sciences
3657.2%
09Mathematics
3306.5%
10Psychology
2234.4%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
16,357
12-mo unduplicated
18,015
Undergraduate
9,064
Graduate
8,951

Gender split

Men
47%8,509
Women
53%9,506

Race / ethnicity composition

White
41.5%
Asian
21.1%
Hispanic
12.6%
Black
8.9%
Non-resident
8.2%
Two or more
6.3%
Unknown
1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
517
295 M · 222 W
Women athletes
42.9%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$11.6M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$60K
$48K
Head-coach salaries
$95K
$77K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 10

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
137 M · 164 W
$870K
Football
109 M ·
$820K
Swimming and Diving (combined)
34 M · 36 W
$489K
Soccer
30 M · 33 W
$730K
Baseball
34 M ·
$340K
Basketball
16 M · 14 W
$1.1M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
8.52
145 offenses · 17,012 students

3-year trend

3.432 yrs ago5.601 yr ago8.52Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
293
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
86
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
4
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
12

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
65
Burglary
25
Aggravated assault
25
Rape
9
Fondling
8
Arson
6
Robbery
6
Statutory rape
1

By location

145total
  • On campus65
  • Non-campus75
  • Public property5

Includes 8 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

13
Domestic violence
4
Dating violence
19
Stalking
36 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Race1
  • Religion1
  • Sexual orientation1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons200
Drugs842
Liquor2173

Residence-hall fires

  • Danforth House1 fire
    A student used a cigarette lighter to set fire to a hallway bulletin board.Damage $100-$999
  • Lopata House1 fire
    CookingDamage $100-$999
  • Millbrook 11 fire
    CookingDamage $100-$999
  • Greenway Apartments1 fire
    CookingDamage $1,000-$9,999

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
7.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
1,945

WASHU vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions WASHU selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectWashington University in St Louis
94%16,357$22,117R1 Research
Duke University
97%5.7%17,499$34,454R1 Research
Carnegie Mellon University
94%11.7%15,888$31,671R1 Research
Yale University
96%3.9%15,564$27,818R1 Research
Boston College
91%16.4%15,432$39,866R1 Research
Emory University
91%10.6%15,175$23,911R1 Research
Peer group median94%10.6%15,726$29,745

Frequently asked questions about Washington University in St Louis

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about WASHU.

What is the graduation rate at Washington University in St Louis?

Washington University in St Louis reports a 6-year graduation rate of 94% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Washington University in St Louis?

Washington University in St Louis reports a total enrollment of 16,357 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Washington University in St Louis?

The average net price at Washington University in St Louis is $22,117 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Washington University in St Louis?

Washington University in St Louis's yield rate is 46.7%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Washington University in St Louis located?

Washington University in St Louis is located in St. Louis, Missouri 63130.

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