Washington University St Louis | Washington University in St. Louis | Best College

Quick Stats

Campus Box 1089, 1 Brookings Drive
St. Louis, MO 63130-4899: [map]

Phone: (314) 935-5000

2011-2012 Tuition

$41,992: tuition and fees

Students

7,138: enrolled

50%: male /

50%: female

Admissions

Jan. 15: application deadline

21.2%: accepted

More Information

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U.S. News Rankings

Ranking score and category

U.S. News rank	Category Name
#14	National Universities

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Summary

Washington University in St. Louis is a private institution that was founded in 1853. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 7,138, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 169 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Washington University in St. Louis's ranking in the 2012 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 14. Its tuition and fees are $41,992 (2011-12).

Washington University in St. Louis is located in a city that offers professional sports in football, baseball, and hockey in addition to a wide range of options for dining and entertainment. The Wash U Bears are members of the NCAA Division III University Athletic Association. Freshmen from outside of the St. Louis area are required to live on campus in one of the residence houses. After freshmen year, students can choose to live in suite-style housing, on-campus apartments, fraternity houses, or off-campus apartments and homes. Approximately 30 percent of students are affiliated with Greek life at Wash U.

Wash U is divided into three schools that serve undergraduate and graduate students and four graduate schools. Among Wash U’s graduate programs are the top-ranked George Warren Brown School of Social Work, the highly ranked Olin Business School, School of Law, School of Medicine, Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts, School of Engineering and Applied Science, and graduate program in education. The Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum on Wash U’s campus houses one of the most distinguished university collections in the country, including works from Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock. Actor Peter Sarsgaard graduated from Wash U, as did former FBI Director William H. Webster. Wash U’s Barnes-Jewish Hospital is one of the top-ranked hospitals in the country.

School mission and unique qualities (as provided by the school):

Washington University in St. Louis is a research university that offers a unique environment for undergraduate students to learn and grow. Unparalleled curriculum flexibility and learning opportunities in a friendly and supportive community inspire undergraduates to explore their interests and develop new ones. Working with their advisors, undergraduates may choose a traditional single major, as many do. Others combine majors with minors, second majors, and pre-professional programs -- all within their four-year undergraduate experience. We encourage our students to participate in internships, study abroad programs, research and scholarship, and over 200 clubs and organizations, rounding out Washington University's commitment to help each student identify and pursue his or her passion. Our students pursue their passions every day. Visit campus and ask them about their experiences.

General Information

School type	private, coed college
Year founded	1853
Religious affiliation	N/A
Academic calendar	semester
Setting	suburban
2010 Endowment	$4,560,043,000

Applying

When applying to Washington University in St. Louis, it's important to note the application deadline is January 15, and the early decision deadline is November 15. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due January 15. The application fee at Washington University in St. Louis is $55. It is most selective, with an acceptance rate of 21.2 percent.

For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.

Selectivity	most selective
Fall 2010 acceptance rate	21%
Application deadline	January 15
SAT/ACT scores must be received by	January 15

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Academic Life

The student-faculty ratio at Washington University in St. Louis is 7:1, and the school has 70.2 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Washington University in St. Louis include: Social Sciences; Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services; Engineering; Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies; and Visual and Performing Arts. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 96.8 percent.

Class sizes

Student-faculty ratio

7:1

4-year graduation rate

86% - High

Five most popular majors for 2010 graduates

Social Sciences	16%
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services	12%
Engineering	12%
Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies	12%
Visual and Performing Arts	8%

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Student Life

Washington University in St. Louis has a total undergraduate enrollment of 7,138, with a gender distribution of 49.5 percent male students and 50.5 percent female students. 79.0 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 21.0 percent of students live off campus. Washington University in St. Louis is part of the NCAA III athletic conference.

See what students are saying about life at Washington University in St. Louis.

Total enrollment	13,820
Student gender distribution

Undergraduate men who are members of a fraternity

Undergraduate women who are members of a sorority

Collegiate athletic association	NCAA III

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Campus Info & Services

Washington University in St. Louis offers a number of student services including nonremedial tutoring, women's center, placement service, day care, health service, and health insurance. Washington University in St. Louis also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, student patrols, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). Of the students at Washington University in St. Louis, 20 percent have cars on campus. Alcohol is permitted for students of legal age at Washington University in St. Louis.

Students who have cars on campus	20% - Low
Health insurance offered	Yes
Students required to own/lease a computer	No

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Paying for School

At Washington University in St. Louis, 41.0 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $29,457.

Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.

Tuition and fees	$41,992 (2011-12)
Room and board	$13,119 (2011-12) - High
Financial aid statistics

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Student Reviews Ratings data provided by Unigo

The best thing about WashU is that everyone is so willing to help you in your endeavors. My four year advisor will help me with any problem I am having, even if it does not pertain to school. ResLife was helpful for me too- I had to move dorms mid-year and they helped me and allowed me to choose exactly where I needed to move. When I tell people I go to WashU they usually have no clue what I'm talking about. There is not much school pride, but I'm okay with that. It fits me that it's not a major sports school. The fact that we don't have much school pride just shows how mellow we are. I would say we have pride in the fact that we go to WashU. I rarely hear major complaints about the school; everyone seems pretty happy with going to WashU, and I'd call that having school pride of sorts. I think WashU's administration is fabulous. They are so friendly and seem concerned about the students, more so than when I talk to my friends from other schools. For example, I would feel that I could drop a class if I said I was having psychological issues, yet one of my friends at a state school wasn't allowed to drop a class when she needed to use that reason.

Ellie Sophomore

Best thing about Wash.U.: Friday night basketball games. Yeah, it's D3, but we have a blast. The school is also a great size and very geared toward the undergraduate population which is awesome School pride is big, though not necessarily in the athletics sense. That said, basketball games have gotten huge in the last couple years and are incredibly fun. Without D1 sports, though, people just aren't gonna get hopped up for games other than hoops. I wish kids were a bit more socially and emotionally intelligent. We have some of the most book smart people in the world, but they often don't have a clue as to how to interact or think outside of their narrow academic boxes.

Andrei Senior

I enjoy it when people ask me where I go to school, only to discover they've never heard of Wash U. I live three hours away, yet plenty of people from home don't know Wash U is in St. Louis. I'm glad that I can be proud of where I go to school, but at the same time I don't seem like I'm bragging by telling people where I go. The biggest recent controversy on campus was a student movement against the administration to bring presidential candidates to campus to speak for free. The administration cited legal and logistical reasons for not allowing Barack Obama to come speak. While these are probably very legitimate reasons, the students were still very upset. Wash U is in a great location. We're essentially in St. Louis, with easy access to the City Museum, major league sports events, concerts, musicals, etc. We're also a self-contained campus, so the campus is relatively compact. There are also two MetroLink stops on campus, for which we get free passes, so St. Louis is literally a couple stops away. It's perfect. The Loop on Delmar is also a fifteen-minute walk away, with "college-town" shops, restaurants, etc. My favorite aspect of Wash U's location is Forest Park, which is across the street from campus. Whether for a run, playing ultimate frisbee, going for a bike ride, going sledding down art hill, going for a walk, or going to the science center, Forest Park is a wonderful asset to Wash U. The most frequent student complaints are the lack of variety and healthy options in campus dining. Wash U's food is really very good, but we all get sick of having practically the same menu everywhere. Although cost is probably an issue at every school, students frequently get upset at substantial cost increases in tuition, room, board, and fees every year. Many of us also feel like Health Services is inconvenient and not as effective as it should be. There is not a lot of attendance to varsity sports, yet there is "school pride" in the sense that students are proud to be part of the Wash U community. One of my more unique experiences was winning the intramural inner tube water polo tournament two years in a row. One of my favorite unique activities Wash U offers is Residential College Olympics, a Saturday full of free t-shirts, food, and all sorts of games: ultimate, soccer, basketball, tug-of-war, ping pong, foosball, euchre, dodgeball, flag football, etc. It's awesome.

skipper Junior

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* Overview details based on 2010 data

Washington University in St. Louis

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Summary

General Information

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