PlainCollege

Washington University in St Louis vs Columbia University in the City of New York

St. Louis, MO · New York, NY · largest Scorecard gap: acceptance rate

Scorecard match plate

Pair MO:NY

PRIVATE-NP-PAIR · CROSS-STATE · ACCEPT-TIGHT · NET-PAR · EARN-SPLIT · DEBT-SPLIT · COMPLETE-HIGH · GAP-ACCEPT

  • PRIVATE-NP-PAIR Private nonprofit pair
  • CROSS-STATE MO × NY
  • ACCEPT-TIGHT Tight admission
  • NET-PAR Net near-par
  • EARN-SPLIT Earnings split
  • DEBT-SPLIT Debt split
  • COMPLETE-HIGH High completion
  • GAP-ACCEPT Largest gap · Acceptance Rate

Instrument codes from this pair's College Scorecard ownership, geography, acceptance, net price, earnings, debt, and completion, plus the ENROLL-RACE · narrow · 2013–2023 decade-path stamp below, not a ranking or recommendation.

Decade path · College Scorecard

Nearly parallel enrollment growth

ENROLL-RACE · narrow · 2013–2023

Undergraduate headcount rose at both Washington University in St Louis and Columbia University in the City of New York across 2013–2023 on similar paces, while acceptance rates tightened on both sides, a growth-under-squeeze pattern rather than a pure size race.

  • Washington University in St Louis: enrollment grew +15.3% over 2013–2023; fitted +104 students/yr fitted, r² 0.96.
  • Columbia University in the City of New York: enrollment grew +11.7% over 2013–2023; fitted +92 students/yr fitted, r² 0.74.
  • Washington University in St Louis: acceptance rate tightened -23.1% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.71).
  • Columbia University in the City of New York: acceptance rate tightened -43.0% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.79).

College Scorecard institution series; dollars are nominal. Direction claims require r² ≥ 0.40 on the fitted annual slope, otherwise the page reports the observed range. Descriptive history, not a recommendation.

Scorecard metrics

Cards ordered by relative gap on this pair. Teal = better side.

Largest gaps: Washington University in St Louis vs Columbia University in the City of New York

  1. ACCEPTANCE-RATE Columbia University in the City of New York leads on acceptance rate (4.0% vs 12.1% at Washington University in St Louis)
  2. MEDIAN-DEBT-AT-GRA Washington University in St Louis leads on median debt at graduation ($17,500 vs $21,500 at Columbia University in the City of New York)
  3. MEDIAN-EARNINGS-(1 Columbia University in the City of New York leads on median earnings (10 yr) ($102,491 vs $86,182 at Washington University in St Louis)

Washington University in St Louis profile · Columbia University in the City of New York profile · Compare other colleges

Acceptance Rate and other Scorecard questions

On acceptance rate, who leads between Washington University in St Louis and Columbia University in the City of New York?▼
Columbia University in the City of New York leads on acceptance rate at 4.0% versus 12.1% at Washington University in St Louis. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On median debt at graduation, who leads between Washington University in St Louis and Columbia University in the City of New York?▼
Washington University in St Louis leads on median debt at graduation at $17,500 versus $21,500 at Columbia University in the City of New York. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On median earnings (10 yr), who leads between Washington University in St Louis and Columbia University in the City of New York?▼
Columbia University in the City of New York leads on median earnings (10 yr) at $102,491 versus $86,182 at Washington University in St Louis. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard College Scorecard institution outcomes (earnings, completion, debt); acceptance rate focus for this pair · 2025