Affordability

WashU will not consider an applicant’s ability to pay when making admissions decisions. Additionally, WashU continues to guarantee to meet 100% of demonstrated financial need for all students admitted to the university. So, whether a student needs a small amount of assistance or the total cost of attendance, they will be considered for admission based on their abilities, not on their ability to pay. 

We want to make WashU accessible to every qualified student. We do this by removing barriers to admission and providing financial resources to make sure all qualified students are able to attend, regardless of their ability to pay. In our review, we look for evidence of academic potential, strong personal characteristics and qualities, activities and commitment, and potential for fit and engagement in the WashU community. 

This investment in our students, which the university is calling Gateway to Success, is possible largely as a result of the extraordinary 65% return on the university’s Managed Endowment Pool for the 2020-21 fiscal year. It includes $800 million in endowed funding to support need-blind undergraduate admissions. 

All applications will be reviewed in a holistic and individualized manner with one goal in mind: to get to know the applicant as a person and understand how that student would both benefit from and contribute to the WashU experience.

Yes! It is important that you complete your financial assistance application by the stated deadline for your decision plan. We will use the information in your financial assistance application to ensure we are meeting 100% of your demonstrated need.  

Our need blind admissions policy applies to all first-year domestic applicants for undergraduate admission. Not included in this program are international applicants, transfer students, and students admitted from our wait list, although we meet 100% of need for these students.

First-year, full-time students admitted to WashU:

• Reside in or attend high school in Missouri or are home-schooled in Missouri or
• Reside in or attend high school in one of 53 defined counties in Illinois or home-schooled in one of these Illinois counties
• Come from a family with $75,000 or less in annual income
• Are U.S. Citizens, permanent residents, DACA, or undocumented

Part-time students or students who are earning a degree from University College are not eligible.

• The WashU Pledge includes scholarships and grants covering the cost of tuition, fees, housing, and food (based on a modern/double room and the Platinum meal plan for on campus students and the cost of a modern/double room and Silver meal plan for off campus students), guaranteed for all four years
• These students will also be eligible for our first year startup grants

• Apply for and be admitted as a first-time, full-time undergraduate student to WashU
• Apply for financial assistance

No, once awarded students will not have to pay back any of the scholarships or grants included in the pledge.

Under this newly expanded no-loan policy, all students who have demonstrated financial need will receive financial aid packages that do not include need-based loans. Students who would have received need-based loans will now receive institutional grants and scholarships instead.  

Students with demonstrated financial need will have 100% of their need met with scholarships and grants. While this policy has made it possible for many students to graduate WashU with little to no debt, some families may wish to take advantage of loans to help finance the cost of college, including the parent or student contribution.

If your family chooses to take out a loan, Student Financial Services will award you the amount of federal loans you’re eligible for.

• $1,000 Startup Grant Funds:
  These funds will continue to be reflected in your financial assistance offer, which you can see in your NetPartner portal. They can be used for necessary school items including but not limited to school supplies, residential hall supplies, and winter clothing. You will receive these funds as a direct payment via direct deposit or by check. You are not required to purchase these items from one particular place or to show a proof of purchase.

• $500 Bookstore Credit: These funds will continue to be reflected in your financial assistance offer. The first $250 is available to you in August, and the second $250 is available to you in January. This credit can be used for any item at the WashU Danforth Campus Store, including but not limited to books, technology, and school supplies.

The grants are for first-year students from families with less than $75,000 in annual income.

Some financial assistance offers are based on the expectation that you will work over the summer and use that money to help pay for college. We have removed this $1,550 summer earnings expectation from your financial assistance offer, increasing your overall aid. You will be able to see this in your financial assistance offer as “Summer Earnings Expectation Replacement Grant.” A credit of $775 will be automatically applied toward university charges at the beginning of each semester for your first year.

• Each semester during your first year, you will receive a direct payment of $500 in Startup Grants funds, for a total of $1,000 for the student’s first year. Students will receive an email from WashU once the funds are available. You can expect your fall funds to be available in early August and your spring funds in early January.
• Each semester during your first year, you will receive a $250 campus store credit, for a total of $500. These credits will automatically be applied to your WashU Campus Store account at the beginning of each semester. Any unused fall credits will roll over to the spring semester. However, all unused campus store credits remaining at the end of the spring semester will be transferred and credited to your student billing account.

Startup Grant recipients will receive their funds through a direct deposit to their bank account or by check. Each student will need to set up direct deposit through WebSTAC or pick up their checks from Student Financial Services once on campus.

Startup Grant recipients will receive an email with instructions on how to set up direct deposit.

No. We do not track what you purchase with your Startup Grant funds. Each student’s needs are different and we leave it up to the student to decide what they need to purchase for their first year.

No. The Startup Grant funds are meant to offset some of the extra costs first-year students experience outside of tuition, fees, housing, and food. These funds are a resource to our students so they can fully engage in academic and campus life without the extra burden of unexpected college costs.

Since the Startup Grant funds are meant to pay for additional costs (outside of tuition, fees, housing, and food), credit for these funds does not show up on your student billing account. These first-year funds will be directly deposited to your bank account, or a physical check can be picked up at Student Financial Services.

Some students who qualify for the First-Year Startup Grants may also qualify for a refund through WashU. If you are eligible for that refund, you will receive those funds at the beginning of each semester in addition to your Startup Grant funds. This refund will be available to you through direct deposit or a physical check that can be picked up at Student Financial Services. If you have questions about the amount of your refund, please reach out to your Student Financial Services Counselor.

This $1,293 Technology Grant will fully cover a computer that meets the minimum requirements for undergraduate study at WashU. These funds will not show up on your financial assistance offer, but they are available to you through an account at the WashU Campus Store. These funds can only be used to purchase a laptop computer and warranty. This computer must be purchased by December 1 of the student’s first fall semester. These funds will not roll over to the spring semester.

Please refer to the WashU Tech Den website for detailed information on the type of computer you will need. Each school has different requirements. You will find several approved computer options on the WashU Campus Store website for purchase.

WashU students are required to have a laptop that meets or exceeds the minimum laptop specifications for their class or school. It’s important to be able to take your schoolwork mobile. You will use your laptop to take notes in class, to study with your classmates in spaces across campus, and for remote online learning.

For more information on laptop requirements and questions please visit WashU Tech Den.

Yes. Your $1,293 Technology Grant must be used at the WashU Danforth Campus Store. You may choose which computer you would like to purchase from the campus store’s list of approved options. Please be aware that your laptop purchase must also include a 4-year accident warranty.

If you are purchasing a Dell computer, the cost of your warranty is included in the online purchase price of your computer.

If you are purchasing an Apple computer, the cost of your warranty is NOT included in the online purchase price; you will pay for the required warranty separately when you pick up your computer. You may still use any remaining grant funds to cover the cost of the warranty after buying your computer. Warranty costs vary by computer model but typically range from $189-$429. Please contact campusttoretech@wustl.edu with any questions.

Note: If you are also the recipient of a Startup Grant, you can combine that credit with your laptop purchase if the amount of your computer and warranty exceeds your $1,293 Technology Grant. However, we do have laptop options that can be fully covered by the Technology Grant.

No. Technology Grant funds must be used by December 1 of your first year; they will not roll over. If they are not used, you will lose them.

Our office will send you an email with instructions on how to order your laptop online through the campus store in late July. You will pick up your computer from the campus store when you arrive on campus in August.

Your Technology Grant funds will be available in late July. You will receive an email from our office with instructions on how to order your laptop.

You will pick up your computer in person at the WashU Danforth Campus Store once you arrive on campus

WashU is not able to reimburse you for a computer you have already purchased. However, you can use the Technology Grant to purchase a second laptop if you wish.

The School Specific Technology Recommendations page of the WashU Tech Den website features each school’s recommended hardware specifications and more. Note: You are not required to purchase your school’s recommended “plus experience” specs as long as you meet the “university minimum requirements” listed.

If you are attending FSAP, our office will send you instructions for ordering your computer before you arrive on campus in June.