Beginning with the 2026 fall semester, WashU’s undergraduate tuition before financial aid will be $71,310, an increase of $3,070 over the current charge of $68,240. Charges for a double room will range between $14,530 and $15,150, and meal plans will range from $6,032 to $9,122. The student activity fee will be $712. The health and wellness fee will be $700.
WashU students who receive financial aid pay significantly less than the full cost of tuition. The actual amount a student will pay relies on a number of factors including family income, assets, family size and the number of siblings in college. Financial awards are calculated annually and take the new cost of attendance into account.
In a letter to families, Provost Mark D. West wrote that accessibility remains a WashU priority. In 2025, WashU made a $433 million investment in financial aid, including $229 million for undergraduate students. The average package provided to students receiving federal aid reduced the cost of attendance to approximately $22,400. Approximately 23% of WashU undergrads are Pell-grant eligible and 16% are the first in their family to attend college.
In 2021, WashU became a need-blind institution, meaning WashU admission is based on an applicant’s abilities, not the ability to pay. WashU also is committed to its “no-loan” financial aid policy, adopted in 2024, which replaces federal loans with grants and scholarships, enabling most students to graduate with little or no debt.
Tuition dollars allow the university to invest in world-class faculty, state-of-the-art facilities and resources that promote our students’ growth and well-being. Examples include the Bauer Leaders Academy, which provides undergraduates personalized coaching workshops and coursework; the Center for Career Engagement, which connects students to a global community of leaders, employers and WashU alumni; and the Taylor Family Center for Student Success, which connects limited-income and first-generation undergraduate students to mentors and professional networks.
The university also provides stipends for summer internships, grants for independent research projects, funding for student businesses and other resources that help launch students from WashU to the next step in their educational or career journey. Approximately 93% of graduating students are employed or are continuing their education within six months of graduation. Their starting salaries are $20,000 more than the national average.
“At WashU, we are committed to providing students an exceptional academic experience — the opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research, learn from the world’s leading scholars, participate in meaningful co-curricular activities and acquire the skills and experiences needed to thrive in the workplace and beyond,” West wrote.
In addition to ongoing support for its no-loan and need-blind policies, WashU will continue to fund the WashU Pledge, which provides a free undergraduate education to Missouri and southern Illinois students whose families make $75,000 or less. Since its launch in 2020, the Pledge has fully funded the education of 351 students. WashU also will continue to distribute first-year startup grants for school supplies to students whose families make $75,000 or less and technology grants for a computer and other hardware for financial aid recipients whose families make $200,000 or less. Students may also access WashU’s endowed Student Success Fund to cover emergency and educational enrichment expenses such as medical bills not covered by insurance, fees for graduate and professional school admissions tests and costs associated with co-curricular activities.
In an effort to bring more transparency to the financial aid process, WashU offers helpful tools that provide prospective families an initial estimate of what a WashU education may cost. These estimates are a starting point and do not consider any family’s specific circumstances. Families are always encouraged to speak directly to Student Financial Services to learn more about WashU financial aid.
An FAQ about tuition and the university’s financial resources was enclosed with the letter.
Graduate, professional, continuing education programs, fees
Below are the 2026-27 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 2026-27 tuition charge for graduate students in these programs will be $69,190, an increase of $2,340.
Sam Fox School Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design: The 2026-27 tuition charge for the Master of Architecture program will be $62,804, an increase of $1,829.
Sam Fox School Graduate School of Art: The 2026-27 tuition charge for Master of Fine Arts programs will be $52,200, an increase of $1,520.
Brown School: The 2026-27 tuition charge for first-year students in the Master of Social Work will be $50,440, an increase of $1,230.
Olin Business School graduate program: The 2026-27 tuition for the Master of Business Administration program will be $72,700, an increase of $2,450, and the Executive MBA program will be $149,500, an increase of $1,000.
School of Continuing & Professional Studies: The 2026-27 tuition will be $453 to $1,285 per unit hour, compared to the current charge of $440 to $1,248 per credit hour.
School of Law: The 2026-27 tuition for the JD, JSD, LLM and MLS programs will be $75,600, an increase of $2,808, and the online LLM and MLS programs will be $57,000, a decrease of $15,792.
School of Medicine: The 2026-27 tuition for first-year students in the School of Medicine will be $67,968 each year 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; their 2026-27 annual tuition will continue at $67,968, $67,295 and $67,295, respectively. The student fee will remain stable at $1,500; however, the health fee will be $5,330, an increase of $105 over the current charges of $5,225. The student health fee increase will adjust for inflation while allowing the school to reduce its subsidy to the program.
School of Public Health: The 2026-27 charge for the Master of Public Health program will be $45,000, an increase of $1,290.
