Washington University-St. Louis School of Medicine Admissions, Tuition & Student Feedback

School Overview

Degrees: MD
Ownership: Private Non-Profit
Program Length: 4 years
Total Enrollment: 101
Founding Year: 1891
Accreditation Year: 1942

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SDN Insights

Cost of Attendance: $451,004

Estimate repayment

Estimated loan burden for WUSTL using 4 years of in-state tuition, $1,500 annual fees, $3,000 monthly living expenses, government-derived local cost-of-living adjustment, $1,000 loan fees, and an 8.5% interest assumption.

Cost of Living: Near national average cost of living

St. Louis, MO is close to the national average for cost of living. In the debt estimate, the government-derived local cost adjustment keeps the $3,000 monthly allowance at about $2,850 per month. Treat this as a city-level budgeting estimate, not the school's official cost of attendance.

Environment: Urban

Situated in a moderately accessible neighborhood, WUSTL offers a mix of walking and biking options. Students may find that many daily needs are reachable without a car, though longer trips still benefit from alternative transportation.

Interview Feedback

Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 10% of interviews, indicating it is highly regarded. They found the interview very impressive with a low stress level and felt they did okay.

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Secondary Essays for WUSTL

1. Personal Experiences and Challenges

Describe a time or situation in which you were unsuccessful or failed.

2. Personal Experiences and Challenges

Is there anything else you would like to share with the Admissions Committee? (optional) Some applicants use this space to describe unique experiences, obstacles, and challenges they have faced on...

3. Personal Experiences and Challenges

Have you completed your undergraduate education, had your college or graduate education interrupted, or do you plan not to be a full-time student during your application year? (Y/N) If yes, please...

4. Personal Experiences and Challenges

Is there anything else you would like to share with the Admissions Committee? (Optional) Some applicants use this space to describe unique experiences, obstacles, and challenges they have faced on...

5. Other

Are you currently a full-time student? If not, please describe your activities in chronological order during the periods when you were not enrolled as a full-time student. (Optional)

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About the School

The School of Medicine has a rich, 115-year history of success in research, education and patient care. It pioneered bedside teaching and led in the transformation of empirical knowledge into scientific medicine. From the earliest days, there has been an understanding that ?investigation and practice are one in spirit, method and object.

Curriculum

Washington University School of Medicine recognizes that each student learns differently. For that reason, our curriculum incorporates many teaching approaches, including traditional lectures and laboratory, small-group interaction, self-directed learning, and of course, broad clinical training at the bedside. Faculty guide students in finding the learning styles that work best for them as individuals. Together, students and faculty continually refine the curriculum to ensure that it remains modern and effective. Pass-fail grading in the first year levels the playing field for students from diverse backgrounds and majors. Issues of medical humanities and ethics are integrated throughout the four years of study.

Facilities

There are numerous clinical sites available to our students. Within the immediate medical center Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Children`s Hospital have a total capacity of about 1,620 beds. Both of these hospitals are heavily involved in care of the medically indigent in the St. Louis community. A new major ambulatory care center has been constructed and provides outpatient care for more than 100,000 people annually. Students also rotate through hospitals in the community including Christian Hospitals Northeast and Northwest, Metropolitan St. Louis Psychiatric Center, Missouri Baptist Medical Center, Veterans Administration Medical Center and Shriners Hospital for Children. There are also numerous smaller hospitals that are part of the BJC Healthcare System that stretches from central Illinois through St. Louis and into southwest Missouri. These sites are being incorporated into the elective rotation sites. Other clinical settings include rural Missouri and Iowa with primary care preceptors. A large percentage of our students do rotations at other institutions both inside and outside the United States.

Last Updated: Oct 28, 2025