Washington University in St Louis (WashU) vs Harvard

When it comes to higher education, Washington University in St. Louis and Harvard University stand out as two of the most prestigious institutions in the United States. Both offer a world-class education, but there are some key differences between the two that prospective students should consider. This side-by-side comparison will delve into the acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates of these two esteemed universities. Whether you're a high school senior planning your future or a transfer student seeking a new academic home, this comprehensive analysis will help you make an informed decision about which university is the best fit for your individual needs and aspirations.

	Harvard University	Washington University in St Louis
Overview
Location	Cambridge, Massachusetts	Saint Louis, Missouri
Campus setting	City: Midsize	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	96.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	4.0%	13.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $105	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $45
SAT range	1480 - 1580	1490 - 1570
ACT range	33 - 36	33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	54.0%	25.0%
Students submitting ACT score	31.0%	41.0%
Total number of applicants	57,786	33,634
Total number of admissions given out	2,318	4,373
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,951	1,980
Yield rate	84.2%	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	$78,028	$81,620
Average net price	$13,910	$28,298
Tuition	$51,143	$57,750
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $11,705 Meal plan: $7,236	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)	56.0% Average amount $59,840	44.0% Average amount $51,288
Students receiving federal student loan	3.0% Average amount $5,180	14.0% Average amount $4,790
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $8,080	2.0% Average amount $25,095

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,579 Men 49.0% Women 51.0%	8,034 Men 46.4% Women 53.6%
Graduate students	21,766 Men 46.3% Women 53.7%	8,939 Men 47.6% Women 52.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	88.2%
International students	23.9%	26.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	12,874	6,826
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York California Texas Illinois New Jersey	California Missouri New York Illinois Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Social Sciences Education Legal Profession	Business Legal Profession Engineering Health Professions Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	7:1	7:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	96.7%	93.1%
Dropout rate	2.0%	6.5%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Statistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,193 Year 2: $128,716 Year 3: $240,408 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $184,307 Year 2: $165,340 Year 3: $199,043 Business Administration, Management and Operations (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $171,333 Year 2: $171,907 Year 3: $187,553 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $140,072 Year 2: $128,737 Year 3: $163,896 Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $151,371 Year 2: $174,023 Year 3: $163,512 Public Health (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $123,508 Year 2: $117,916 Year 3: $129,281 Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $121,832 Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $102,707 Year 2: $90,856 Year 3: $121,771 Education, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $97,905 Year 2: $98,670 Year 3: $107,389 Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $68,745 Year 2: $71,486 Year 3: $106,375	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

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Harvard

California Institute of Technology