Undergraduate tuition for the 2025-26 academic year for students not receiving financial aid at Washington University in St. Louis will be $68,240, an increase of $3,740 over the current charge of $64,500, announced Beverly Wendland, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs.
Charges for a double room for those students will range between $13,970 and $14,568, and meal plans will range from $5,800 to $8,770. The student activity fee will be $682. The health and wellness fee will be $672.
Many students will pay less than that, depending on the level of financial aid they receive. That amount will depend on many factors, including household income and the number of siblings currently in college. To help provide greater transparency into what families can expect to pay, WashU is the first university in the nation to offer a new Instant Net Price Estimator, which quickly provides an estimated tuition range based on two simple data points.
“Our goal is that each family pays what it can afford. This calculator is useful in providing additional transparency into the individualized cost of a WashU education,” Wendland wrote in a letter to parents and families. “We are grateful for your continued support, especially during this time of financial uncertainty. We take our role as stewards of your investment seriously and we will continue to seek new ways to manage university operations efficiently while providing students exceptional academic, research and co-curricular experiences.”
Wendland also noted that this year’s increase is necessary as the university confronts a potentially significant loss of federal research funding as well as a possible increase in the federal endowment tax. “We remain committed to educational excellence and access as we plan for and navigate the many policy changes that are currently being considered at the federal level. WashU will continue to meet the financial needs of our students through an array of scholarships and initiatives,” Wendland wrote.
Students who qualify for need-based financial assistance will receive consideration for the cost increases as well as consideration for any changes in their families’ financial circumstances, and are encouraged to contact Student Financial Services.
All university financial aid programs, such as the “no-loan” undergraduate financial aid policy and the WashU Pledge, which provides a free undergraduate education to students in Missouri and southern Illinois with annual family incomes of $75,000 or less, remain fully intact, Wendland said.
A FAQ about tuition and the university’s financial resources was enclosed with the letter.
Graduate, professional, continuing education programs, fees
Below are the 2025-26 full-time tuition and fee schedules for the university’s graduate and professional programs as well as tuition for students enrolled in the School of Continuing & Professional Studies.
Graduate/professional programs in Arts & Sciences and the McKelvey School of Engineering: The 2025-26 tuition charge for graduate students in these programs will be $66,850, an increase of $2,350.
Sam Fox Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design: The 2025-26 tuition charge for the Master of Architecture program will be $60,975, an increase of $1,949.
Sam Fox Graduate School of Art: The 2025-26 tuition charge for Master of Fine Arts programs will be $50,680, an increase of $1,620.
Brown School: The 2025-26 tuition charge for first-year students in the Master of Social Work will be $49,210, an increase of $1,200. The charge for the Master of Public Health program will be $43,710, an increase of $1,070.
Olin Business School graduate program: The 2025-26 tuition for the Master of Business Administration program will be $70,250, an increase of $2,050, and the Executive MBA program will be $148,500, an increase of $2,200.
School of Law: The 2025-26 tuition for the JD, JSD, LLM and MLS programs will be $72,792, an increase of $2,784.
School of Medicine: The 2025-26 tuition for first-year students in the School of Medicine will be $67,968, an amount that will remain fixed for their four years of medical school. The tuition for the second-, third- and fourth-year classes was fixed for four years upon their entry to medical school and their 2025-26 annual tuition will continue at $67,295, $67,295 and $65,976, respectively. The student fee will remain $1,500. The health fee will be $5,225, an increase of $1,045.
School of Continuing & Professional Studies: The 2025-26 tuition will be $440 to $1,248 per unit hour, an increase over the current charge of $399 to $995 per credit hour.
Editor’s note: This article was updated on April 2, 2025 to correct an error in the cost of meal plans. The correct range is $5,800 to $8,770, not $5,880 to $8,770 as previously written.
