The information on this page is updated each fall in coordination with the “In Brief” brochure (PDF).
Page index
Rankings | Faculty | Students | Athletics | Research | Advancing Human Health | Global Leadership | Community Cornerstone | Community Connections | Financial Highlights | Alumni & Friend Support
Washington University in St. Louis
We are among the world’s leaders in teaching, research, patient care, and service to society. We are committed to learning and exploration, to discovery and impact. Together, we explore our intellectual passions and challenge the unknown.
- Founded: 1853
- Chancellor: Andrew D. Martin, 2019–Present
- Location: St. Louis, Missouri
- Motto: Per Veritatem Vis (Strength Through Truth)
Academic Divisions
Art & Architecture
Arts & Sciences
Business
Engineering
Law
Medicine
Social Work & Public Health
Rankings
#2 best college dorms
The Princeton Review, 2018
#2 in social work
U.S. News & World Report, 2018
#2 best run colleges
The Princeton Review, 2018
#3 best campus food
The Princeton Review, 2018
#6 in financial resources
U.S. News & World Report, 2018
#7 top 25 schools for entrepreneurs
The Princeton Review, 2018
#8 in research medical schools
U.S. News & World Report, 2018
#10 best architecture schools
Architectural Record, 2018
#11 in graduation and retention
U.S. News & World Report, 2018
#12 best quality of life
The Princeton Review, 2018
#18 in overall undergraduate programs
U.S. News & World Report, 2018
View a full listing of the university’s rankings at rankings.wustl.edu.
Faculty
8:1 Student to faculty ratio
| Number of faculty by school, fall 2017 | |
|---|---|
| Arts & Sciences | 704 |
| Business | 130 |
| Design & Visual Arts | 127 |
| Engineering | 229 |
| Law | 118 |
| Medicine | 2,252 |
| Other | 24 |
| Social Work/Public Health | 145 |
| University College | 90 |
| Total | 3,819 |
| Sampling of faculty honors | |
|---|---|
| Pulitzer Prize | 9 |
| Poet Laureate of the United States | 4 |
| American Academy of Arts and Sciences | 68 |
| National Academy of Sciences | 56 |
| American Law Institute | 39 |
| National Medal of Science | 15 |
24 Nobel Laureates affiliated with Washington University
Students
Enrollment by school, fall 2017
Undergraduate
- Architecture: 180
- Business: 866
- Art: 310
- Arts & Sciences: 4,435
- Engineering: 1,296
- Part-time and other: 628
Graduate and Professional*
- Architecture: 297
- Art: 37
- Arts & Sciences: 1,895
- Business: 1,369
- Engineering: 782
- Law: 1,184
- Medicine: 1,272
- Social Work & Public Health: 573
- Other: 272
*Graduate and professional enrollment data are not unduplicated headcounts
Full-time students in 2017-18
1,347
Part-time students in 2017-18
Total Enrollment: 15,396
Summer School 2017: 3,893
Students come from more than 100 countries and all 50 states + the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
More than 90% of undergraduates are from out of state and approximately 65% come from more than 500 miles away.
About 380 undergraduate student groups and more than 150 graduate student groups in 2017-18
80% of undergraduate students pursue multiple majors and/or minors
About 1 in 3 undergraduate students study abroad
Undergraduate educational costs 2018-19
- Basic undergraduate tuition: $52,400
- Student activity fee: $524
- Student health and wellness fee: $475
- Average undergraduate room and board: $16,440
Degrees awarded in 2017-18
- Associate: 5
- Bachelor: 1,823
- Master: 2,107
- Doctor: 703
- AuD: 15
- DBA: 2
- PhD: 257
- JD: 202
- MD: 119
- ODT: 23
- DPT: 82
- JSD: 1
- DLA: 1
- DSc: 1
-
TOTAL: 4,638
Athletics
Mascot: Bears
Colors: Red and Green
NCAA Division III titles: 22
University Athletic Association titles: 204
Academic All-Americans: 158
Varsity sports: 19 (9 men’s and 10 women’s)
Sport Clubs: 41
About 75% of undergraduates participate
in intramural sports, in more than 30 all-male, all-female and coed teams
Research
Positioned to meet national and global imperatives in energy, environment security, health and economic prosperity, we take our responsibility seriously. Through innovative research, we are committed to creating the new knowledge necessary to achieve a bright and sustainable future.
Areas of Focus
$711.8 million
Total research support in fiscal year 2018
$522.4 million
Federal research support in fiscal year 2018
More than 3,000 research projects
under way each year.
Advancing Human Health
Washington University Physicians
1,503 university-employed physicians at the School of Medicine representing 76 specialties provided clinical care to 49 clinical sites through Washington University Physicians, one of the largest academic clinical practices in the nation.
Washington University Medical Center Corporate Partners
1,121,579 outpatient visits to Washington University Physicians in 2017
Student-organized clinics, established by medical students and staffed by students and faculty, provide free medical care to needy people in the St. Louis community.
Health Outreach Program
- Screenings
- Patient navigation
- Nutrition
Institute for Public Health
Institute for Public Health works as a connector, convener, and catalyst across all seven of our schools to tackle regional and global public health challenges. It bridges disciplines to stimulate innovation and improve population health by advancing research, practice, training, education, community partnerships, and public policy.
1,795 beds in the Washington University Medical Center
Global Leadership
We focus on key issues facing a global society, leading to a better quality of life for all.
A select group of research universities around the world partner with Washington University, sharing the same commitment to excellence in research and to the importance of international collaboration, through the McDonnell International Scholars Academy. Future global leaders from partner institutions are mentored at the university as they pursue graduate and professional degrees. In addition, the academy fosters collaborative research and educational efforts on key issues:
- Energy and sustainability
- International understanding
- Public health
InCEES
International Center for Energy, Environment and Sustainability collaborates with institutional, regional, and international partners across disciplines to foster targeted research:
- Exploring sustainable alternative energy
- Developing and producing biofuels
- Exploring environmental systems and practices
- Mitigating CO2 accumulation
- Improving combustion processes
- Reducing emissions
Community Cornerstone
3rd ranking among largest employers in St. Louis – St. Louis Business Journal Book of Lists 2017
16,428 Total employees in fiscal year 2018
Our students from outside the St. Louis region boost the local economy an estimated $133.7 million
$288 Million Total amount of goods and services purchased locally in fiscal year 2017
$157 Million Total payments to local construction vendors in fiscal year 2017
25.4% of our 143,081 alumni live and work in the St. Louis area
Community Connections
Contributing to the region’s culture and education
Visit fuse.wustl.edu to see how we are fostering a growing entrepreneurial spirit
A hub of innovation, we inspire entrepreneurial efforts. We provide the infrastructure, educational programs, and research support to tap the entrepreneurial spirit of our faculty and students.
Making a difference in the community
According to the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement, Washington University volunteers more than 7 million person hours to the community each year.
Approximately 600 university/community partnerships are sustained each year.
About 60% of undergraduate students participate in community service.
Graduate and professional students support community organizations through practica and clinics connected to their degree programs, including law, social work, medicine and physical therapy. They receive practical hands-on learning while simultaneously increasing the capacity of local, national and international organizations.
Financial Highlights
Financial Overview
(June 30, 2018)
- Revenues $3,543,139,000
- Expenses $3,133,048,000
- Physical Plant Investment $2,541,137,000
- Endowment (Market Value) $7,687,392,000
Endowment spending as percentage of revenues in fiscal year 2018
9% Endowment spending
91% All other revenues
Revenues
- Patient/hospital revenues: $1,454,719,000
- Grants & contracts: $588,887,000
- Tuition & fees: $411,969,000
- Endowment spending: $322,895,000
- Other revenue: $241,916,000
- Unendowed gifts: $407,883,000
- Auxiliary enterprises: $114,870,000
TOTAL: $3,543,139,000
Expenses
- Instruction: $1,988,694,000
- Research: $537,777,000
- Academic support: $203,196,000
- Institutional support: $155,835,000
- Auxiliary enterprises: $117,153,000
- Student services: $96,666,000
- Other deductions: $33,727,000
TOTAL: $3,133,048,000
Alumni & Friend Support
Voluntary gift support in fiscal year 2018
- Total gifts and grants: $353.3 million
- Total Annual Fund gift support: $31.8 million
- Total donors: 65,588
- Total alumni donors: 33,268
- Alumni participation rate: 29.7%
- Alumni: $99.8 million
- Friends (including bequests): $55.1 million
- Foundations: $124.1 million
- Corporations: $30.3 million
- Other (including agencies and groups): $23.6 million
- Parents: $20.4 million