Washington University in St Louis

Gaining admission to Washington University in St Louis is highly competitive, though its acceptance rate is somewhat less restrictive than that of its closest institutional peers. In the 2027 U.S. News rankings, the university placed 16th among national universities, moving upward after sitting at 24th in 2024. For the entering class of 2025, the overall admission rate was 12.1%, which was higher than 83% of peer private comprehensive universities. This indicates that while selectivity remains intense, applicants face slightly better odds of admission here than at peer median institutions. Converting those admitted applicants into enrolled students, however, remains competitive. The university recorded a yield rate of 46.7% in 2025, meaning less than half of admitted students chose to matriculate. Because a majority of admitted candidates opt for other institutions, applicants competing for admission should recognize that while securing an acceptance letter is difficult, the school continually contends with other top-tier universities to attract its final incoming cohort.

Undergraduate applicants to Washington University in St Louis need exceptional academic credentials to be competitive. Enrolled students in 2025 presented an SAT midpoint of 1540, while ACT composite scores for the middle 50% spanned from 33 to 35. These figures demonstrate that successful candidates generally score at the very top percentile nationally. In unofficial applicant cases collected by Forward Pathway, accepted international applicants held a median unweighted high school GPA of 3.94. By comparison, denied international applicants in those unofficial records had lower GPAs and standardized test scores. Because both the official test ranges and unofficial applicant histories reflect top-tier academic performance, prospective applicants should aim for near-flawless course grades alongside testing credentials that match these elite benchmarks. Strong high school preparation is essential, as the vast majority of admitted students sit comfortably at the upper boundary of standardized testing distributions.

Washington University in St. Louis shows broad academic dispersion rather than heavy concentration, with its top three undergraduate majors accounting for 18.2% of all bachelor's degrees awarded in 2025. The most popular undergraduate major is Computer Science with 160 graduates, followed closely by Experimental Psychology. While the school's top US News positions are concentrated in specialized graduate health fields—such as Physical Therapy and Social Work, both ranked 2nd—its popular undergraduate programs also achieve top standings, including undergraduate Psychology ranked 12th in 2027. International students are especially drawn to quantitative areas, earning over one-fifth of Computer Science bachelor's degrees despite receiving an 8.3% share of all undergraduate diplomas in 2025. These popular technical tracks also translate into substantial financial returns: according to 2023 earnings data, Computer Science graduates achieved the highest early compensation, with a median salary of $121,535 one year after graduation. For applicants, this means academic strengths and financial payoff align well in quantitative and pre-professional disciplines without overshadowing the university's wider offerings.

Washington University in St Louis enrolled 16,357 students in 2025, divided nearly evenly between undergraduate and graduate divisions. The composition of the student body shifts significantly across academic levels, particularly regarding racial and international diversity. In the incoming first-year undergraduate class, Asian students represented 22.3% of students, forming the second-largest racial demographic behind White students, while international students comprised 11.4%. At the graduate level, international scholars play an even more prominent role, making up 45.9% of the graduate population. Asian American students represent a smaller portion of the graduate division, alongside domestic White and other minority students. Undergraduate enrollment also reflects a consistent female majority across both first-year and continuing cohorts, whereas the graduate student population is split almost evenly between men and women. In summary, the university brings together a diverse domestic undergraduate community alongside a heavily international postgraduate student body.

The student body at Washington University in St Louis displays a distinct separation in age between undergraduates and graduate students. In 2025, students aged 20 to 21 made up 43.1% of the undergraduate population, while those aged 18 to 19 accounted for 38.9%. Because over four-fifths of undergraduates fall within the traditional college age of 18 to 21, undergraduate campus life centers almost exclusively on early adulthood and traditional collegiate routines. Meanwhile, the graduate community is older, with students aged 22 to 24 representing 41.9% and those aged 25 to 29 forming another large segment. This demographic division means that undergraduate activities and housing are organized around students arriving directly from secondary school, whereas graduate programs maintain an environment geared toward young professionals and advanced researchers.

International enrollment at Washington University in St Louis reveals a pronounced difference between undergraduate and graduate levels. In 2025, international students comprised 9.4% of the undergraduate population, a modest increase from 8.3% in 2016, though this share remains lower than most peer private universities. Conversely, international representation at the graduate level has expanded dramatically, rising to 45.9% of all graduate students in 2025. Graduation data reflects this concentration: international students received 63.8% of all master's degrees awarded in 2025, compared to a smaller fraction of doctoral and bachelor's degrees. At the undergraduate level, international graduates were most prevalent in Computer Science. At the master's level, international students formed the overwhelming majority in specialized professional fields, accounting for 99.3% of degree recipients in Financial Mathematics and nearly all graduates in Business Statistics. For prospective international students, these figures show that while undergraduate admissions remain selective with limited international cohorts, graduate professional programs maintain an exceptionally high concentration of global peers.

Prospective applicants reviewing options in Missouri and surrounding Midwestern states can evaluate several institutions located within a short distance of St. Louis. Situated just 4.1 kilometers away, Saint Louis University is a private national university ranked 100th in the 2027 U.S. News rankings. Also in the immediate urban area, University of Missouri-St Louis is a public national university located 4.3 kilometers away and ranked 276th. For those seeking a smaller liberal arts setting, Principia College is located 20.9 kilometers away in Illinois and ranked 74th among National Liberal Arts Colleges. Further east, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign provides a large public flagship alternative, located 150 kilometers away and ranked 34th among national universities.

Campus safety data at Washington University in St Louis shows that conduct violations make up the bulk of reported incidents, while violent crime remains low. In 2025, the university reported a crime rate per 1,000 students of 6.7. Across the three-year period from 2023 to 2025, campus statistics were dominated by alcohol-related disciplinary referrals rather than arrests, with 548 liquor law violations recorded. Drug referrals were the second most frequent disciplinary category during that span. When examining criminal offenses between 2023 to 2025, motor vehicle theft was the most common incident type with 70 cases, followed by smaller counts of stalking, rape, and theft. The figures indicate that daily security concerns for students mainly involve campus substance policies and vehicle security rather than physical violence, giving families a clear picture of risks centered around student behavior and property.