Students
Washington University’s over 13,300 full-time and part-time students represent all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, as well as over 110 countries around the world.
Students have been recognized for achievements in areas as diverse as genetic engineering and fashion design, and have received such prestigious graduate study awards as two Rhodes Scholarships in 2006, as well as Fulbright, Marshall, Beinecke, and Truman Scholarships, and Goldwater, Mellon, Putnam, National Science Foundation, National Graduate, and Howard Hughes Fellowships for undergraduate research.
When not in the classroom, students may choose among 200 organizations, including fraternities and sororities, sports clubs, preprofessional organizations, programming boards, student government associations, and special-interest groups.
First Year Center
The First Year Center supports new students through their transition into the Washington University community to assure that they build and sustain their academic and personal goals. The Center brings together people, programs, and resources to provide an undergraduate experience of exceptional quality where all students are known by name and story and where they prepare themselves for lives of purpose and meaning.
Freshman Reading Program
Incoming Washington University freshmen read a selected book over the summer, then participate in a dynamic, thought-provoking, faculty-facilitated discussion of the book along with their peers. The Freshman Reading Program aims to introduce students to the spirit of inquiry and debate that is integral to the Washington University academic community, to provide a common intellectual experience for incoming students, as well as participating members of the faculty and staff, and to provide an opportunity for students to meet and interact with a member of the Washington University faculty in an informal discussion outside the boundaries of the classroom and formal academic requirements.
