Washington University in St. Louis: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics

Dr. Allen Grove is an Alfred University English professor and a college admissions expert with over 20 years of experience helping students transition to college.

Washington University in St. Louis is a selective private research university with an acceptance rate of 14%. Academics are supported by an impressive 7-to-1 student/faculty ratio. Every undergraduate at Washington University belongs to a residential college, creating a small-college atmosphere within a mid-sized university. WashU was awarded a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences, and it is a member of the American Association of Universities for its strong research programs. Washington University appears among the top Missouri colleges, top Midwest colleges, and top national universities.

Considering applying to WashU? Here are the admissions statistics you should know, including average SAT/ACT scores and GPAs of admitted students.

Acceptance Rate

During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, Washington University in St. Louis had an acceptance rate of 14%. This means that for every 100 students who applied, 14 students were admitted, making WashU's admissions process highly competitive.

The admissions data in the graph is self-reported by applicants to Washington University in St. Louis. GPAs are unweighted. Find out how you compare to accepted students, see the real-time graph, and calculate your chances of getting in with a free Cappex account.

​Admissions Chances

Washington University in St. Louis has a highly competitive admissions pool with a low acceptance rate and high average SAT/ACT scores. However, WashU has a holistic admissions process involving other factors beyond your grades and test scores. A strong application essay, supplemental essay, and glowing letters of recommendation can strengthen your application, as can participation in meaningful extracurricular activities and a rigorous course schedule. Students with particularly compelling stories or achievements can still receive serious consideration even if their test scores are outside WashU's average range.

Grove, Allen. "Washington University in St. Louis: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics." ThoughtCo, Jun. 25, 2024, thoughtco.com/washington-university-gpa-sat-and-act-786768. Grove, Allen. (2024, June 25). Washington University in St. Louis: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/washington-university-gpa-sat-and-act-786768 Grove, Allen. "Washington University in St. Louis: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/washington-university-gpa-sat-and-act-786768 (accessed September 16, 2024).

• About Us
• Advertise
• Careers
• Privacy Policy
• Editorial Guidelines
• Contact
• Terms of Service
• EU Privacy

We Care About Your Privacy

We and our 100 partners store and/or access information on a device, such as unique IDs in cookies to process personal data. You may accept or manage your choices by clicking below, including your right to object where legitimate interest is used, or at any time in the privacy policy page. These choices will be signaled to our partners and will not affect browsing data.

We and our partners process data to provide:

Store and/or access information on a device. Use limited data to select advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising. Use profiles to select personalised advertising. Create profiles to personalise content. Use profiles to select personalised content. Measure advertising performance. Measure content performance. Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources. Develop and improve services. Use limited data to select content. List of Partners (vendors)