Address: 1 Brookings Drive, 63130 St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Medicine, Social Work, Biomedical Engineering
Established in 1853, WashU is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri. It is renowned for its medical school, social work program, architecture, and strong programs in arts and sciences and engineering.
Washington University in St. Louis was founded in 1853 by the Unitarian minister William Greenleaf Eliot and the businessman Wayman Crow, and it took the name of George Washington in 1856. The institution began as Eliot Seminary in downtown St. Louis, and in the early 1900s it moved to the western edge of the city, near Forest Park. The Danforth campus, with Collegiate Gothic buildings in red granite, hosts most of the arts and sciences, engineering, business, architecture and art schools. It has about 17,000 students and 8,000 staff.
The campus became the site of the 1904 World’s Fair and the 1904 Olympic Games, which took place at Francis Field. Brookings Hall, the main administration building, was used as a fair building and remains the symbol of the university. The School of Medicine, one of the best in the country, is located on the medical campus next to Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital, and its faculty have led research in genetics, cancer and neuroscience.
Several Nobel Prizes are linked to the university. Arthur Compton, who served as chancellor in the 1940s, won the 1927 Nobel Prize in Physics for the Compton effect, and Gerty and Carl Cori shared the 1947 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, making Gerty Cori the first woman to win it in that field. The McDonnell Genome Institute made major contributions to the Human Genome Project. The Brown School is a leading school of social work and public health.
The Olin Business School, the McKelvey School of Engineering, the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts, and the School of Law complete the list of professional schools. Students are known for a strong focus on service and for the residential college system. Admission is highly selective. Financial aid is need-based. Check the current tariff for tuition. Teaching is in English.
The MetroLink light rail station on the campus links it with downtown, and living costs in St. Louis are lower than in coastal cities.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Bioengineering, Civil Engineering, Data Analytics, Industrial Design, Life Sciences, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Private
Partnerships:
World-renowned School of Medicine affiliated with Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Highly ranked Brown School (social work) and Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. Member of AAU.
Research:
A leading research university with strengths in medical research (genomics, neuroscience, cancer), social work, biomedical engineering, and environmental science.
Famous Alumnis:
Tennessee Williams, Phyllis Schlafly, William H. Webster, Harold Ramis, Karlie Kloss
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
8000
Current students***:
17000
Foreign students***:
10%
Cumulative former students***:
140000
Pros
Excellent medical school and social work program, strong research across multiple disciplines, beautiful campus.
Cons
Highly competitive admissions, private university cost, St. Louis has areas with socio-economic challenges.
Best For
Students seeking a top-tier research university with strong programs in medicine, social work, biomedical engineering, or architecture, often valuing a collaborative and interdisciplinary environment.
Vanderbilt University is the closest domestic counterpart for bioengineering, life sciences and data analytics; it is slightly smaller, at about 14,000 students against roughly 17,000 here, and is also a private institution.
Among national alternatives, Duke University stands out for its focus on bioengineering, life sciences and data analytics, and it covers project management and ecology and sustainability as well, and has almost the same size, at about 17,200 students.
For students who like the bioengineering, life sciences and data analytics focus of this university but want another option nearby, University of Pennsylvania fits well: it is larger, enrolling about 28,200 students against roughly 17,000 here, and is also a private institution.
Johns Hopkins University overlaps with this university on bioengineering, life sciences and data analytics, so the two are easy to compare, and it covers project management and materials as well, and is larger, enrolling about 31,500 students against roughly 17,000 here.
Both schools build their programmes around bioengineering, life sciences and data analytics, and Stanford University is the one to compare first within the country, since it covers physics and engineering as well, and has almost the same size, at about 17,800 students.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Students considering a move abroad can look at Austral University in Argentina, where industrial design, bioengineering and life sciences also form the core, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers project management and engineering as well.
On content, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in India and this university are close, as both teach bioengineering, life sciences and data analytics; it covers robotics and engineering as well, and is slightly larger, at about 24,000 students against roughly 17,000 here.
Students considering a move abroad can look at University of Westminster in the United Kingdom, where industrial design, civil engineering and life sciences also form the core, and it does not run the mba programmes found here and covers engineering as well.
National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University brings a Taiwan setting to the same core fields, bioengineering, life sciences and data analytics, and it is public, whereas this institution is private, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
For industrial design, civil engineering and life sciences outside the home country, National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan is a natural reference; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers electrical and electronics and materials as well.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is Washington University in St. Louis?
In St. Louis, Missouri, at the western edge of the city, near Forest Park.
When was it founded?
In 1853, by William Greenleaf Eliot and Wayman Crow.
How large is it?
About 17,000 students and 8,000 staff.
What happened on the campus in 1904?
It hosted the World's Fair and the Olympic Games, which took place at Francis Field.
What is Brookings Hall?
The main administration building and symbol of the university, used as a fair building in 1904.
Who won Nobel Prizes?
Arthur Compton in Physics in 1927, and Gerty and Carl Cori in Physiology or Medicine in 1947.
What is the McDonnell Genome Institute?
An institute that made major contributions to the Human Genome Project.
What is the Brown School?
A leading school of social work and public health.
How do you reach downtown?
By MetroLink light rail, which has a station on the campus.
How is financial aid decided?
It is need-based. Check the current tariff for tuition.
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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