Private · St. Louis, MO
Washington University in St Louis
Washington University in St Louis merit aid, cost of attendance, freshman GPA and SAT/ACT scores, net price by income, and graduate earnings.
Costs, merit aid & admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 7%
- Undergraduates
- 7,857
- Avg merit aid / yr
- $36,250
- Cost of attendance
- $92,523
- SAT 75th percentile
- 1570
- ACT 75th percentile
- 35
Costs are annual prices before aid. Average merit aid is the average non-need-based award to freshmen who got one — not an offer to every applicant.
Washington University in St Louis incoming freshman academic profile
- Average high school GPA
- Not reported
- SAT composite middle score
- 1,5302025-26 CDS · Source
- ACT composite middle score
- 342025-26 CDS · Source
Average GPA of enrolled freshmen (scale may be weighted or unweighted). SAT/ACT are median scores of students who submitted them — not scholarship cutoffs.
Washington University in St Louis net price by family income
Historical average cost after all grants and scholarships — not need-based aid eligibility. 2024–25 academic year.
| Family income | $0–30K | $30–48K | $48–75K | $75–110K | $110K+ | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual net price | $2,578 | $589 | $7,361 | $15,636 | $47,130 | $13,360 |
Families earning $150,000+ should not assume they'll get need-based grants; the "Over $110K" group mixes very different incomes.
At what family income does financial aid stop at Washington University in St Louis?
There's no universal cutoff. Need-based aid depends on income, assets, family size and college rules; merit scholarships are based on grades and scores, so high income doesn't rule them out. Use Washington University in St Louis's net price calculator for a personal estimate, and the federal aid estimator for federal aid.
Graduation, earnings & student debt
- 6-year graduation
- 92.8%Fall 2019 / 2019–20 entering cohort
- First-year retention
- 95%Fall 2023 entering cohort; return in fall 2024
- Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
- $91,4972011–12 and 2012–13 entering cohorts; earnings in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars
- Median federal debt
- $15,250Federal fiscal years 2024 and 2025, pooled
Historical group figures, not individual predictions. Debt excludes private and Parent PLUS loans. Source: College Scorecard (ID 179867).
Colleges with acceptance rates similar to Washington University in St Louis
Washington University in St Louis accepts about 7% of applicants. These colleges have the closest reported acceptance rates.
- Swarthmore College · Swarthmore, PA8% acceptance
- Pomona College · Claremont, CA7% acceptance
- Colby College · Waterville, ME7% acceptance
- Washington University of Science and Technology · Alexandria, VA7% acceptance
- Northwestern University · Evanston, IL8% acceptance
- Bowdoin College · Brunswick, ME7% acceptance
- Rice University · Houston, TX8% acceptance
- Brown University · Providence, RI6% acceptance
- Cornell University · Ithaca, NY8% acceptance
- Johns Hopkins University · Baltimore, MD6% acceptance
Colleges with merit aid similar to Washington University in St Louis
Washington University in St Louis reports average merit aid of $36,250 per year. These colleges report the closest average non-need-based awards.
- Allegheny College · Meadville, PA$36,327.6 avg merit aid / yr
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · Troy, NY$36,111 avg merit aid / yr
- Westminster University · Salt Lake City, UT$36,033 avg merit aid / yr
- Lycoming College · Williamsport, PA$36,574 avg merit aid / yr
- Connecticut College · New London, CT$36,673 avg merit aid / yr
- Earlham College · Richmond, IN$35,537 avg merit aid / yr
- Davidson College · Davidson, NC$35,495 avg merit aid / yr
- Lawrence University · Appleton, WI$37,342 avg merit aid / yr
- Centre College · Danville, KY$37,410 avg merit aid / yr
- Albertus Magnus College · New Haven, CT$34,953 avg merit aid / yr
Data sources & limitations
Admissions, costs and merit aid: collegedata.fyi (Common Data Set + federal data), imported Oct 2026. Net prices and outcomes: College Scorecard, Oct 15, 2026 release, matched by federal ID. SAT 75th percentile adds section scores; 90th-percentile and GPA match thresholds are estimates. ROI compares four years of average net price with median earnings 10 years after entry, ranked in thirds across colleges. Blank means not reported — never estimated. Confirm costs and scholarships with the college.