College dataData from U.S. Dept of EducationUpdated May 2026 · 4 min read
Data: 2026-05 Next refresh: Nov 2026

Washington University in St Louis: Cost, Graduate Salary, Acceptance Rate and Return on Investment

Washington University in St Louis is a private nonprofit college in St. Louis, MO. Students pay about $21,786 a year in net price, and the median graduate earns $86,182 ten years after enrolling. By our Degree-ROI measure the degree pays back in about 2.7 years and adds $290,176 over a decade, ranking it #43 of 918 (top 6%) by value added.

Avg net price / yr
$21,786
Median salary (10 yrs)
$86,182
10-yr value added
$290,176
Acceptance rate
12.1%

What is Washington University in St Louis's acceptance rate?

Washington University in St Louis has an acceptance rate of 12.1%, which makes it highly selective. It is a private nonprofit institution in St. Louis, MO enrolling about 7,857 students, with a 94.3% graduation rate.

How much does Washington University in St Louis cost?

Washington University in St Louis costs about $21,786 per year in average net price, what a typical student actually pays after grants and scholarships. Over four years, including typical borrowing, that totals roughly $104,644. Published sticker cost of attendance is $88,488 per year.

How much do Washington University in St Louis graduates earn?

Ten years after enrolling, the median Washington University in St Louis student earns $86,182 per year. That is $39,482 more than the $46,700 that the typical worker with only a high-school diploma earns.

Is Washington University in St Louis worth it? Degree ROI and payback period

Washington University in St Louis pays back its roughly $104,644 cost in about 2.7 years, then keeps returning the earnings premium. Over the first decade the degree adds about $290,176 net of cost, a 3.77x return on the money invested. That ranks it #43 of 918 (top 6%) by value added. Its top-tier value is driven mainly by strong graduate earnings and a high graduation rate.

Top 10% value

Washington University in St Louis graduation rate and student debt

94.3% of Washington University in St Louis students complete their degree, and the median graduate leaves with $17,500 in federal student debt. That debt is about 20% of one year of median graduate earnings.

Washington University in St Louis by the numbers (vs the typical college)

How Washington University in St Louis compares to the median four-year college in our snapshot. Percentile is its rank among the 918 colleges that report both earnings and cost (higher is better).

MetricThis schoolMedian collegePercentile
Avg net price / yr$21,786$20,299cheaper than 44%
Median earnings (10 yrs)$86,182$54,76894th
Graduation rate94.3%57.0%98th
Acceptance rate12.1%75.7%more selective than 97%
10-yr value added$290,176-$28,19295th
ROI multiple (per $1)3.77x0.73x94th
Payback period2.7 yrs8.8 yrsfaster than 92%
How we compute Degree value-add & ROI. Investment basis = average net price × 4 years + median debt (net price preferred; published sticker cost used as a fallback). Earnings premium = median earnings 10 years after entry minus the $46,700 typical earnings of a worker with only a high-school diploma (BLS Current Population Survey, median annual earnings for workers with a high-school diploma and no college (~$899/week, 2023)). Degree value-add = premium × 10 years minus total cost, the net return of the degree itself over a high-school career (it can be negative). ROI multiple = 10-year premium ÷ cost. Payback = cost ÷ annual premium. Ranked by value-add among the 918 four-year colleges in this snapshot that report both earnings and cost; 226 of them do not pay back at ten years. Missing values are excluded, never estimated.
Open data: these figures come from the public College Scorecard (public domain). Our computed Degree value-add, ROI multiple, and payback are free to cite/reuse under CC-BY 4.0.

Frequently asked

Is Washington University in St Louis worth the cost compared to other colleges?

By value added net of cost, Washington University in St Louis ranks #43 of 918 (top 6%) of the 918 four-year colleges we rank, and returns about 3.77x the money invested over a decade.

Is Washington University in St Louis expensive compared to other colleges?

Its $21,786 average net price is above the $20,299 median for the colleges in this snapshot, making it cheaper than 44% of them.

Do Washington University in St Louis graduates earn more than average?

Median earnings of $86,182 ten years out are above the $54,768 median, higher than 94% of the colleges here.

How hard is it to get into Washington University in St Louis compared to other colleges?

Its 12.1% acceptance rate is below the 75.7% median, making it more selective than 97% of the colleges in the snapshot.

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