U.S. News & World Report's 2011 edition places 19 Washington University graduate and professional programs in their top-10 rankings. The School of Medicine is number four in the nation, and 12 of the departments and programs in medicine are ranked in the top 10. In previous U.S. News rankings, the George Warren Brown School of Social Work ranked number one in the nation, and three Arts & Sciences areas ranked in the top 10. The School of Law was ranked 18th in the nation; the school's clinical training program ranked number five, and its trial advocacy program was number 10. The Department of Biomedical Engineering is ranked number 16. The Olin School's part-time MBA is 10.
In U.S. News' undergraduate category for 2011, Washington U. is ranked 14th among national universities. The Olin Business School undergraduate program ranks 14th.
Financial Times ranked the Washington University—Fudan University EMBA program eighth in the world and number one in China. The Wall Street Journal ranked the Executive MBA program number two in the nation. BusinessWeek ranked the Executive MBA program in the top 18. Architecture was ranked fourth nationally by DesignIntelligence.
The university ranked fifth in the nation in the number of National Merit Scholars in this academic year's freshman class. The university has also been ranked in the top 25 for medium-sized schools in the number of alumni currently serving in the Peace Corps.
Six major world rankings of leading universities include Washington University in the top 12% and 5 of the 6 place the university in the top 10% of universities in the world.
Charity Navigator, America's largest and considered by many to be the premier independent charity evaluator, annually has given Washington University a 4-star rating for its commitment to fiscal responsibility, accountability and transparency, and its ability to efficiently manage, steward and grow the resources it receives.
The 4-star rating is the highest possible score an organization can receive for sound fiscal management, and Washington University has again received that rating. It is one of just a very few charities, five of which are educational institutions, that have received a 4-star rating in at least 10 of the 11 years since Charity Navigator launched its website in 2002.
Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton says, "It is gratifying to be recognized as a good steward of the gifts we receive from our alumni and friends who choose to support Washington University. We appreciate their confidence in us, and I pledge that we will continue to use their invest- ments in this university wisely."
In fiscal year 2011, which ended June 30, 2011, the university received gifts and grants totaling more than $216 million, and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) named Washington University a winner in its 2011 Educational Fundraising Awards program. The university shared the first-place "Overall Performance Award" in CASE's Circle of Excellence program in the category for private/doctoral institutions with the University of Southern California.
Financial data, June 30, 2011
| Operating budget | $2,122,895,000 |
| Investment in physical plant | $1,905,034,000 |
| Endowment, market value | $5,348,871,000 |
Educational costs, 2012–2013
| Basic undergraduate tuition | $42,500 |
| Student activity fee | $425 |
| Student health fee | $780 |
| Undergraduate room and board (average) | $13,118 |
Undergraduate financial assistance, 2011—2012
Undergraduate students may apply for merit-based scholarships and need-based financial assistance. Awards range up to the full cost of attendance, including no-loan assistance packages for families with low incomes.
Washington University compares most favorably with leading independent universities across the nation. The following lists are a sampling of independent universities from the West, South, Midwest and East. They reflect the most recent published comparative data and are not all-inclusive, nor are they rank-order listings.
* 2009-2010
† The National Association of College and University Business Officers excludes life income funds when it reports these data.