There are a lot of universities in the United States that are named after George Washington, but Washington University in St. Louis is certainly the most esteemed. In fact, in 1976, the Board of Trustees added the phrase “in St. Louis” to the university’s official title to avoid any confusion with the many other uses of the first U.S. president’s name in higher education. As a hub of innovation and scientific discovery, WashU has been affiliated with 26 Nobel Laureates and 11 Pulitzer Prize winners.

Notable alumni at the school include playwright Tennessee Williams, former director of Planned Parenthood Leana Wan, and Founder of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Charles Nagel. Faculty who have taught at WashU include Gerti Cory, the first woman to be awarded a Nobel prize in physiology or medicine, Joseph W. Kennedy, co-discoverer of plutonium, and Mona Van Duyn, former U.S. poet Laureate.

7,800 undergraduate students are enrolled at WashU in four schools: the College of Arts & Sciences, the Olin School of Business, the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts, and the McKelvey School of Engineering. The university has a reputation for excellence when it comes to its Architecture, Social Work, Genetics, and Physical Therapy departments, its generous financial aid program, the beauty and livability of its Collegiate Gothic campus, and for its research programs, which draw the participation of over 60% of the undergraduate student body.

All undergraduate students must fulfill general education requirements in “College Writing,” “Applied Numeracy,” “Social Contrasts,” “Writing-Intensive Courses,” as well as area requirements in the “Humanities,” “Natural Sciences and Mathematics,” “Social Sciences,” and “Linguistic and Cultural Diversity.”

Washington University was established in 1853 by prominent members of the St. Louis community in order to address the lack of Midwestern institutions of higher learning. Unlike many other universities of its caliber, WashU did not have a primary benefactor or religious affiliation at the time of its inception. The Board of Trustees chose to name the university after George Washington to strategically position the new institution as a force of unity amidst widespread national tension in the years prior to the Civil War.

During World War II, WashU played a pivotal role, in collaboration with the University of Chicago, in conducting research for the Manhattan Project. As the university continued to expand westward in Missouri and create a greater infrastructure to support a residential college community, it also expanded its reputation for academic achievement. As the recipient of nearly one billion in research funding each year, WashU has played integral roles in many contemporary scientific innovations, including contributing 25% of finished sequences to the human genome project. Additionally, it has hosted more presidential debates in the 21st century than any other institution.

Campus life is replete with over 300 student organizations, a long history of traditions, and an active social scene. The Washington University Student Union has one of the highest annual budgets of a collegiate student government, which is spent on a biannual concert series, weekly lectures, a campus television station, and a variety of extracurricular offerings. The a cappella scene is particularly strong, with over 13 student groups. Athletes, known as the Bears, compete in NCAA Division III. Around 14% of students are involved in Greek life. Perhaps most notable among the student traditions is Thurtene Carnival, the oldest and largest student-run carnival in the United States.

Admission into the private research university has become increasingly competitive in recent years; the Class of 2028 drew 32,753 applicants and accepted 12% of students. The Undergraduate Admissions philosophy reads as follows: “We want to know who you are and what matters to you, so we can help you direct your talents, drive, and energy toward becoming a successful, contributing global citizen who works to improve your communities and your world.”

What are Washington University in St. Louis looking for?

We want to get to know you—your passions, your talents, and how you want to make a difference. 

Our application review process goes beyond grades to understand your potential, character, accomplishments, and how you’ll connect with our collaborative and intellectually curious community.

We’re looking for students who are eager to learn, contribute, support others, and bring their unique experiences to enrich our campus and the wider world. Tell us your story—we’re excited to see how you’ll thrive at WashU.

Our approach to your application 

At WashU, we take our mission seriously: to discover and disseminate knowledge; protect the freedom of inquiry through research, teaching, and learning; and to create an environment to encourage and support wide-ranging exploration. We strive to enhance the lives and livelihoods of all in our WashU community, our neighbors in St. Louis, the country, and the world.

With our mission in mind, we review your application in an individualized manner, where our goal is to get to know you—and your story—through the application process. Here are some of the things we are looking for:

Academic potential

We evaluate your achievement, preparation, and potential to contribute in your chosen area of study and across the university. 

How do your academic choices and performance help us understand your ability to thrive here? How do others describe your academic talents and skills?

Personal characteristics and qualities

While there is no one type of WashU student, our students have many things in common. They are collaborative, intellectually curious, creative, and demonstrate leadership in a variety of ways. They share concern for others, seek solutions, and support one another. We also know that our classrooms, residence halls, and common spaces are enriched by being a community of people with a broad array of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives, and interests. 

What will you contribute to the WashU community? How have you demonstrated your character? What is important to you, and what sort of person do you hope to become?

Accomplishments and involvement

We are interested in understanding your engagement outside of the classroom, including extracurricular activities, family obligations, work commitments, service, or other ways you are involved. 

How do you spend your time, and how have you had an impact in your family, school, workplace, or community? What have you learned from your experiences, and how have you taken advantage of the opportunities made available to you? Do you have particular skills or talents?

Fit and engagement

What opportunities would you seek out on our campus? How do your academic and professional interests align with what we offer? We hope to understand why WashU might be a good fit for you and how you have taken advantage of opportunities to get to know us better, too.

One thing we don’t consider: your financial need.

WashU is “need blind” in our admission process for first-year applicants who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

What does “need blind” mean? It means that WashU does not consider an applicant’s ability to pay when making admission decisions.

What does this mean for you? It means we rely solely on our individualized review of applications with one goal in mind: to get to know you as a person and understand how you would both contribute to and benefit from the WashU experience. What we do NOT look for is your ability to pay tuition.

Our promise to you.

As we do the work of recruiting, enrolling, and supporting each class of first-year and transfer students, we commit to:

• Evaluating each student’s academic preparation within the context of their home, learning, and community environment.
• Seeing student potential and value through more than traditional academic measures.
• Getting to know students personally so we can understand what they aspire to, believe in, are committed to, and have overcome.
• Being aware of bias and actively working to remove it from our processes.
• Conducting our work in a way that allows us to create an undergraduate student body that is diverse and inclusive that enriches the educational environment and enhances the collective experience for our community.

Our admissions counselors are personally and professionally dedicated to:

• Removing barriers to access and creating a community that is welcoming, nurturing, and intellectually rigorous.
• Knowing our students by name and story and helping prepare them with attitudes, skills, and habits of lifelong learning and leadership so they are productive members of a global society.
• Creating an environment that is collaborative without being cutthroat, instilling our community with the idea that one person’s success does not come at the cost of another’s.
• Creating an environment to encourage and support an ethos of wide-ranging exploration.
• Enhancing the lives and livelihoods of students, the people of the greater St. Louis community, the country, and the world.
• Expecting bold, independent, and creative thinking from ourselves and our community.

Admissions Statistics

ADMISSION INFORMATION

APPLICATION DATES & DEADLINES

Additional essay questions of the application.

WashU is a place that values a wide range of perspectives. We believe those perspectives come from a variety of experiences and identities. In 250 words or less, respond to one of the following prompts to help us understand “Who are you?”:

• WashU supports engagement in the St. Louis community by considering the university as “In St. Louis, For St. Louis.” What is a community you are a part of and your place or impact within it?
• WashU strives to know every undergraduate student “By Name & Story.” How have your life experiences shaped your story?