Washington University in St Louis
#1 Best Colleges in Missouri- Graduation Rate
- 94% A+
- Most students who enroll finish their degree here
- Earnings (10yr)
- $86,182 A+
- Top 3% nationally — exceptional earning power
- Net Price
- $21,786 D+
- 27% more than the typical college
- Acceptance Rate
- 12% A+
- Rejects about 88 of every 100 applicants
Bottom line: A B- overall grade — strong outcomes across the board. 22.1× return on investment — every $1 spent returns $22.1 over 20 years. Ranked #1 in Best Colleges in Missouri.
Every $1 spent returns $22.1 over 20 years — debt pays back in ~under a year. Net gain: $1,840,656.
What The Data Says
-
A B- overall — outcomes above the typical U.S. college.
-
Graduates earn 111% more than the national college median.
-
A 94% graduation rate — 65% above the national average.
-
Inventor rate in the top 14% nationally — patents, startups, and new technology flow from its graduates.
-
A top feeder school for 8 major employers.
Economic Footprint
- Inventor Rate
- 1.9%
- Top 14%
- Patents
- 227
- Linked to graduates
- World Rank
- #38
- Times Higher Education
- Employer Pipelines
- 8
- Top feeder programs
- Patent Citations
- 159
- Downstream influence
- Research Score
- 63/100
- Times Higher Education
Why Washington University in St Louis Matters
Washington University in St Louis is a private research university in St. Louis, MO ranked #38 in the world by Times Higher Education, and its outcomes are not an accident. They are driven by exceptional admissions selectivity, a top-tier research enterprise, an unusually high rate of inventors and patents, and a well-connected, high-opportunity alumni network. The result: graduates whose earnings land in the top 3% of all U.S. colleges.
Interpretation generated from this school's federal outcomes, research, and mobility data.
Institutional Profile
- Institution Type
- Private Research University
- Carnegie Class
- R1 · Very High Research
- Enrollment
- 7,857
- Setting
- Suburban
- Primary Strengths
- Engineering, Biology & Biomedical, Social Sciences, Business & Marketing
Why students choose Washington University in St Louis
CollegeRanker Report Card
Graded on outcomes, against every U.S. college.
Each grade is this school's national percentile on a real outcome — earnings, value, mobility, and more.
How we grade →Admissions
Highly selective — admits about 12% of applicants, with a middle-50% SAT of 1500–1570. Run your numbers in the admissions predictor below.
Check your odds →Net price + aid
Students pay about $21,786 a year after grants and scholarships — 27% above the typical U.S. college. See net price by family income below.
See cost & aid →Earnings + debt
Graduates earn a median of $86,182 ten years after enrolling — 111% above the typical college, against $17,500 in median debt.
See outcomes →Mobility + social capital
Moves 1.0% of its students from the bottom income fifth to the top — top 74% nationally for mobility. High social capital (1.83 economic connectedness).
See mobility →Overview
With an acceptance rate of just 12%, Washington University in St. Louis attracts driven students looking for a rigorous academic environment. It’s a great fit for those interested in fields like engineering, biology, social sciences, computer science, and business. The graduation rate of 94% reflects a supportive community that helps students succeed and achieve their goals.
Life after graduation looks promising, with alumni reporting an average earnings of $86,182 ten years out. This figure highlights the potential for financial stability in a variety of career paths. While nearly 18% of students receive Pell Grants, the school’s commitment to affordability helps ensure that students from different economic backgrounds can thrive.
On the financial side, the net price after aid stands at $21,786, and the median debt for graduates is $17,500. This manageable debt load suggests that students here often leave school with a solid foundation for their financial futures. Those who tend to thrive are often self-motivated and eager to engage deeply with their studies and the campus community.
Rankings
Can I Get In?
How selective Washington University in St Louis is — and how your numbers stack up.
Tool
Will I Be Accepted?
Enter your credentials to see your chances at this school.
Academics & Admissions
Is It Hard to Get Into Washington University in St Louis? Acceptance Rate & Requirements
Washington University in St Louis, located in St. Louis, Missouri, sets a competitive bar: about 12% of applicants get an offer. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,530. The graduation rate is roughly 94%.
- Acceptance Rate
- 12%
- Retention Rate
- 95%
- SAT Average
- 1530
- ACT Midpoint
- 34
- SAT Range
- 1500–1570
- ACT Range
- 33–35
- Full-Time Faculty
- 73%
- Faculty Salary (mo)
- $16,945
- Student–Faculty Ratio
- 7:1
- Diversity Index
- 0.76
- First-Gen Students
- 11%
- Applicants
- 32,014
- Admitted
- 3,764
Inside the Admissions Office
School-reported Common Data Set · 2025-26
The acceptance rate tells you how hard Washington University in St Louis is to get into. Its Common Data Set tells you what happens once you are admitted: how many students say yes, how many arrived without test scores, and whether applying early tilts the odds. 48% of admitted students go on to enroll here, making it a school more than half of admitted students choose.
- Yield Rate
- 48%
- of admits enroll
- Submitted SAT
- 32%
- of enrolled freshmen
- Submitted ACT
- 29%
- of enrolled freshmen
- Early Decision Admit Rate
- 27.0%
- vs 7.3% overall
Applying early pays off here. Of 4,934 Early Decision applicants, 1,333 were admitted — a 27.0% admit rate, roughly 3.7× the 7.3% rate for the overall pool. That binding round alone filled about 5% of the entering class (1,333 of 275 first-years). The catch: Early Decision is a commitment you make before you can compare aid offers.
Test-optional, in practice. Only about 61% of enrolled freshmen submitted an SAT or ACT score, so a strong application without test scores is genuinely competitive here, not a long shot.
Can I Afford It?
What you'll actually pay after grants and aid — not the sticker price.
Cost & Financial Aid
How Much Does It Cost to Attend Washington University in St Louis? Tuition, Net Price & Aid
Published tuition at Washington University in St Louis is $65,790, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $21,786. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $1,716 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $17,500 in federal student loans.
- In-State Tuition
- $65,790
- Out-of-State
- $65,790
- Avg Net Price
- $21,786
- Median Debt
- $17,500
- Pell Grant Rate
- 18%
- Federal Loan Rate
- 12%
What Families Actually Pay
- Family Income $0–$30K
- $1,716
- Family Income $30K–$48K
- $1,928
- Family Income $48K–$75K
- $5,578
- Family Income $110K+
- $42,170
What Happens After?
Earnings, debt, and where graduates actually land.
Students Like You
Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Washington University in St Louis — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.
Graduate Outcomes
Is Washington University in St Louis Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI
Ten years out, alumni of Washington University in St Louis earn a median of $86,182, well above the national average for bachelor's degree holders.
- 6 Years After Entry
- $78,073
- 8 Years
- $81,347
- 10 Years
- $86,182
- Debt-to-Earnings
- 0.2x
- Earning > $25K
- 84%
Earnings Trajectory
Graduation by Timeframe
- 100% (1,517)
- 88%
- 100% (1,517)
- 88%
- 100% (1,517)
- 88%
- 100% (1,517)
- 88%
Where Grads Go
Washington University in St Louis is a top feeder for:
- #1 Wells Fargo
- #2 PepsiCo
- #2 Procter & Gamble Co.
- #2 Microsoft
- #2 Nike
- #3 Google
- #3 KPMG
- #4 Accenture
Rank among programs feeding each employer.
Top employers of Washington University in St Louis’s MBA graduates, by hires reported in the school’s employment report.
- Accenture ✓ VerifiedConsulting · Class of 2023
- Amazon ✓ VerifiedTechnology · Class of 2023
- Anheuser-Busch InBev ✓ VerifiedOther · Class of 2023
- Bain & Company ✓ VerifiedConsulting · Class of 2023
- Boeing ✓ VerifiedOther · Class of 2023
- Boston Consulting Group ✓ VerifiedConsulting · Class of 2023
- Deloitte ✓ VerifiedConsulting · Class of 2023
- Edward Jones ✓ VerifiedOther · Class of 2023
- EY ✓ VerifiedOther · Class of 2023
- Google ✓ VerifiedTechnology · Class of 2023
- IBM ✓ VerifiedOther · Class of 2023
- KPMG ✓ VerifiedOther · Class of 2023
- McKinsey & Company ✓ VerifiedConsulting · Class of 2023
- Microsoft ✓ VerifiedTechnology · Class of 2023
- Nestlé Purina ✓ VerifiedOther · Class of 2023
- Nike ✓ VerifiedOther · Class of 2023
- PepsiCo ✓ VerifiedOther · Class of 2023
- PwC ✓ VerifiedOther · Class of 2023
- Procter & Gamble Co. ✓ VerifiedOther · Class of 2023
- Wells Fargo ✓ VerifiedFinance & banking · Class of 2023
How Washington Compares
Dot right of center = above national average.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after aid, by income bracket.
The Mobility Equation
Mobility = Access x Success. How many low-income students get in, and how many reach the top 20%?
College ROI Calculator
Is Washington University in St Louis Worth It?
A data-driven look at the return on your educational investment — using real federal data.
Yes — for most students, Washington University in St Louis delivers a positive return. Over four years, the typical net price is $21,786/year ($87,144 total). Graduates earn $86,182 at ten years, and over a 20-year career we project $1,927,800 in total earnings — a net gain of $1,840,656 (22.1× your investment). The median debt is $17,500, which takes less than a year to pay back at typical earnings. With a 94% graduation rate, the path to that return is well-tested. This is a exceptional ROI compared to national averages.
- Total Cost (4yr)
- $87,144
- Projected 20yr Earnings
- $1,927,800
- Net Return
- $1,840,656
- ROI Multiple
- 22.1×
- Cost Per Year
- $21,786
- Median Debt
- $17,500
- Debt Payback
- Less than 1 yr
- Graduation Rate
- 94%
Does It Change Lives?
Mobility, social capital, and innovation — does it move people up?
Social Mobility
Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records
Does Washington University in St Louis Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes
Washington University in St Louis is a measurable contributor to upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 1.04%, in line with strong performers nationally. Access is narrower: only about 1.9% of students come from the bottom income quintile, typical of more selective, higher-income institutions. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 53.5% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $180,200, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.
- Mobility Rate
- 1.04%
- Bottom 20% → Top 20%
- Success Rate
- 53.5%
- If bottom 20% get in
- From Bottom 20%
- 1.9%
- Share of students
- Parent Median Income
- $244,829
- today's $ (2015 cohort data)
Research & Teaching
Data: Times Higher Education World University Rankings
How Research-Intensive Is Washington University in St Louis? World Rank, Teaching & Citations
Times Higher Education places Washington University in St Louis at #38 worldwide, a mark of serious research standing. Its profile spans a research score of 63/100, teaching at 59/100, and citation impact of 89/100, reflecting both the volume of research output and how often that work is cited by scholars elsewhere.
- World Rank
- #38
- Teaching
- 58.9
- Research
- 63
- Citations
- 88.6
- International
- 56.4
Innovation & Knowledge Creation
Patents, inventors, and research influence · Opportunity Insights & Times Higher Education
Washington University in St Louis produces inventors at an above-average rate (top 14% nationally), with 227 patents tied to its graduates, and ranks among research universities with a 63/100 research score.
- Inventor Rate
- 1.86%
- Top 14% nationally
- Patents Produced
- 227
- Linked to graduates
- Patent Citations
- 159
- Downstream influence
- Research Score
- 63/100
- Times Higher Ed
- Academic Influence
- 89/100
- Citation impact (THE)
- Inventors From Low-Income
- 2.40%
- Bottom-20% families
Institutional Finances
Data: NCES IPEDS
- Investment Income
- $-1,658,738,000
Top Programs
The fields Washington University in St Louis awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.
- Engineering 14% $93,087 early-career
- Biology & Biomedical 13% $25,556 early-career
- Social Sciences 13% $54,549 early-career
- Business & Marketing 10% $109,009 early-career
- Computer Science & IT 8% $118,245 early-career
- Psychology 8% $31,312 early-career
- Visual & Performing Arts 5% $48,959 early-career
- Physical Sciences 4% $16,815 early-career
Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.
Top Careers
Where these majors tend to lead — common career paths for Washington University in St Louis's most popular programs, ranked by median pay with our proprietary scorecard insights.
- CChief Executive Officer$189,520 · 3% growthAdaptable 64
- C+IT Manager$169,510 · 15% growthAdaptable 52
- CPhysicist$142,850 · 5% growthAdaptable 66
- CAstronomer$142,850 · 4% growthAdaptable 66
- C+Cloud Architect$142,000 · 15% growthAdaptable 52
- B-Site Reliability Engineer$140,000 · 20% growthAdaptable 52
- CSolutions Architect$138,000 · 12% growthAdaptable 52
- CHR Manager$136,350 · 5% growthAdaptable 64
Frequently Asked Questions
Is It Hard to Get Into Washington University in St Louis? Acceptance Rate & Requirements
Washington University in St Louis, located in St. Louis, Missouri, sets a competitive bar: about 12% of applicants get an offer. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,530. The graduation rate is roughly 94%.
How Much Does It Cost to Attend Washington University in St Louis? Tuition, Net Price & Aid
Published tuition at Washington University in St Louis is $65,790, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $21,786. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $1,716 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $17,500 in federal student loans.
Is Washington University in St Louis Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI
Ten years out, alumni of Washington University in St Louis earn a median of $86,182, well above the national average for bachelor's degree holders.
Does Washington University in St Louis Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes
Washington University in St Louis is a measurable contributor to upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 1.04%, in line with strong performers nationally. Access is narrower: only about 1.9% of students come from the bottom income quintile, typical of more selective, higher-income institutions. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 53.5% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $180,200, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.
How Connected Is Washington University in St Louis? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks
Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Washington University in St Louis. Its economic connectedness score is 1.83, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.00), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 11% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.
How Research-Intensive Is Washington University in St Louis? World Rank, Teaching & Citations
Times Higher Education places Washington University in St Louis at #38 worldwide, a mark of serious research standing. Its profile spans a research score of 63/100, teaching at 59/100, and citation impact of 89/100, reflecting both the volume of research output and how often that work is cited by scholars elsewhere.
Does Washington University in St Louis offer Early Decision, and does it improve admission chances?
Yes. Washington University in St Louis offers a binding Early Decision plan, and it carries a real advantage: Early Decision applicants were admitted at 27%, about 3.7 times the overall 7% acceptance rate, and ED filled roughly 5% of the entering class. Because ED is binding, it makes sense only if Washington University in St Louis is a clear first choice and you can commit before comparing aid offers (2025-26 Common Data Set).
Is Washington University in St Louis really test-optional?
In practice, yes. Only about 61% of enrolled first-year students submitted an SAT or ACT score, so a strong application without test scores is genuinely competitive at Washington University in St Louis (2025-26 Common Data Set).
What percentage of admitted students enroll at Washington University in St Louis?
About 48% of admitted students choose to enroll at Washington University in St Louis — its yield rate (2025-26 Common Data Set). Yield reflects how often a school wins when applicants weigh competing offers.
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Similar Schools
Schools with similar outcomes, selectivity, and student profiles to Washington University in St Louis.
- Emory UniversityAtlanta, GA · Close peer91% grad $80,137 earn 11% acceptWhy: similar earnings · similar selectivity · similar grad rate
- Brown UniversityProvidence, RI · Close peer96% grad $93,487 earn 5% acceptWhy: similar earnings · similar selectivity · similar grad rate
- University of Notre DameNotre Dame, IN · Close peer96% grad $99,980 earn 11% acceptWhy: similar selectivity · similar grad rate · similar size
- Northwestern UniversityEvanston, IL · Close peer96% grad $89,363 earn 8% acceptWhy: similar earnings · similar selectivity · similar grad rate
- Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN · Close peer93% grad $91,565 earn 6% acceptWhy: similar earnings · similar selectivity · similar grad rate
- University of Virginia-Main CampusCharlottesville, VA · Close peer95% grad $86,863 earn 17% acceptWhy: similar earnings · similar selectivity · similar grad rate
Social Capital
Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas
How Connected Is Washington University in St Louis? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks
Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Washington University in St Louis. Its economic connectedness score is 1.83, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.00), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 11% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.
Research Note