Test-optionalED

Washington University in St. Louis

MO · Private · Midwest · National university · Top 25 tier · 7,870 undergraduates (medium)

Admission rates

Latest admit rates

Overall admit rate11.9%
ED rate27%1,333 of 4,934
Regular round (est.)†9.3%estimated, see note below

† Regular round (est.) = (all admitted students − Early Decision admits) ÷ (all applicants − Early Decision applicants).

Trends, Fall 2024–Fall 2025

Admission rates

OverallEarly Decision
0%15%30%'24'2512.1%11.9%25.3%27.0%

Early plans

Fall 2027 applicants

Early Decision I & II, binding · School admissions page ↗What this means:
The school’s admissions website (page ↗) lists Early Decision I & II, binding for Fall 2027. Its 2025-26 Common Data Set (file ↗) lists ED I and ED II and Restrictive Early Action.

Testing

Testing policy

Fall 2027
Test-optionalSchool testing page ↗ · checked Nov 2026
Fall 2028
Fall 2028 policy not yet announced.School testing page ↗ · checked Nov 2026

Superscoring

What this means:

SAT
Superscores
ACT
Superscores

Source ↗ · checked Nov 3, 2026

Test-optional. Accepts individual ACT section retakes. ACT Science optional; best composite with or without Science used.

How to send scores

Self-report accepted; official scores only after admission/enrollment

School’s words: “If you enroll at WashU and submitted unofficial scores, we will then ask you to send official score reports from testing agencies”

Source ↗ · checked Nov 3, 2026

Students submitting scores

Est. % submitting scores‡61%SAT 32% + ACT 29%

‡ Est. % submitting scores adds the share of enrolled first-years who submitted the SAT to the share who submitted the ACT.

Submitted SAT32%
619 students
Submitted ACT29%
567 students

Score ranges (middle 50%)

Enrolled first-years who submitted scores, Fall 2025. A quarter scored below the range and a quarter above.

SAT composite
1500–1550 median 1530
10001600
SAT Reading & Writing
730–760 median 750
500800
SAT Math
760–790 median 780
500800
ACT composite
33–35 median 34
2036

Trends, Fall 2024–Fall 2025

Share of enrolled students submitting scores

SAT + ACT (est.)SATACT
0%50%100%'24'2557.0%61.0%29.0%32.0%28.0%29.0%

SAT composite, middle 50%

25th–75th percentile, enrolled students (labels show both values)
160015001400'24'251500–1570157015001500–155015501500

ACT composite, middle 50%

25th–75th percentile, enrolled students (labels show both values)
36343230'24'2533–35353333–353533

Waitlist admit rate

Share of students who stayed on the waitlist and were later admitted, by entering class.

  • 2025: 8%
  • 2024: 8%

What is a waitlist? How is it different from a deferral?

Test policy in each Common Data Set

History only. The current policy is under Testing above.

  1. Fall 2027 Test-optional2025-26 CDS
  2. Fall 2026 Test-optional2024-25 CDS
  3. Fall 2025 CDS not available2023-24 CDS
  4. Fall 2024 CDS not available2022-23 CDS
  5. Fall 2023 CDS not available2021-22 CDS
  6. Fall 2022 CDS not available2020-21 CDS
  7. Fall 2021 CDS not available2019-20 CDS

Sources