Columbia vs Washington University in St Louis (WashU)

Columbia University and Washington University in St. Louis, two prestigious institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Columbia, located in the heart of New York City, boasts a lower acceptance rate (6.1%) compared to Washington University's (15.4%). Both universities excel in various disciplines, with Columbia excelling in social sciences, humanities, and engineering, while Washington University shines in engineering, business, and the sciences. Columbia's student body is more diverse, with a higher percentage of international students, while Washington University has a slightly larger undergraduate population. With comparable graduation rates, both universities ensure that their students receive a top-notch education that prepares them for successful careers. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these universities and make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Columbia University	Washington University in St Louis
Overview
Location	New York, New York	Saint Louis, Missouri
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	99.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	4.1%	13.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $120	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $45
SAT range	1470 - 1570	1490 - 1570
ACT range	34 - 35	33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	43.0%	25.0%
Students submitting ACT score	28.0%	41.0%
Total number of applicants	61,110	33,634
Total number of admissions given out	2,524	4,373
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,641	1,980
Yield rate	65.0%	45.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$90,882	$81,620
Average net price	$12,411	$28,298
Tuition	$60,514	$57,750
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,450 Meal plan: $6,000	Room/dormitory: $12,350 Meal plan: $5,550
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	53.0% Average amount $57,726	44.0% Average amount $51,288
Students receiving federal student loan	7.0% Average amount $5,511	14.0% Average amount $4,790
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $34,119	2.0% Average amount $25,095

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,832 Men 50.6% Women 49.4%	8,034 Men 46.4% Women 53.6%
Graduate students	24,944 Men 44.8% Women 55.2%	8,939 Men 47.6% Women 52.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	88.2%
International students	37.0%	26.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	13,071	6,826
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Missouri New York Illinois Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Engineering Computer and Information Science Public Administration and Social Service	Business Legal Profession Engineering Health Professions Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	6:1	7:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	97.4%	93.1%
Dropout rate	1.7%	6.5%
Transferred out	0.7%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $193,362 Year 2: $180,752 Year 3: $230,020 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $162,427 Year 2: $170,426 Year 3: $179,305 Management Information Systems and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $153,730 Year 2: $160,605 Year 3: $167,216 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $133,851 Year 2: $143,033 Year 3: $166,695 Operations Research (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $111,312 Year 2: $114,503 Year 3: $148,040 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $108,903 Year 2: $103,078 Year 3: $135,658 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $115,222 Year 2: $127,993 Year 3: $131,926 Construction Management (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $98,322 Year 2: $110,878 Year 3: $125,926 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $111,569 Year 2: $109,659 Year 3: $119,899 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,223 Year 2: $100,127 Year 3: $118,332	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $89,930 Year 2: $99,517 Year 3: $149,178 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,627 Year 2: $112,270 Year 3: $125,369 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,311 Year 2: $91,744 Year 3: $123,261 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $90,605 Year 2: $80,755 Year 3: $115,101 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,604 Year 2: $85,538 Year 3: $96,865 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,886 Year 2: $67,995 Year 3: $82,126 Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $57,989 Year 2: $58,334 Year 3: $73,030 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,467 Year 2: $64,379 Year 3: $68,070 Public Health (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,193 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $66,777 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $67,699 Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $66,289

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Columbia vs Washington University in St Louis (WashU)

Columbia University

Washington University in St Louis

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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