Washington University in St Louis vs University of Chicago

St. Louis, MO · Chicago, IL · largest Scorecard gap: acceptance rate

Scorecard match plate

Pair MO:IL

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

  • PRIVATE-NP-PAIR Private nonprofit pair
  • CROSS-STATE MO × IL
  • ACCEPT-TIGHT Tight admission
  • NET-SPLIT Net-price split
  • EARN-PAR Earnings near-par
  • 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 · wide · 2013–2023 decade-path stamp below, not a ranking or recommendation.

Decade path · College Scorecard

Both grew, one campus expanded much faster

ENROLL-RACE · wide · 2013–2023

Undergraduate headcount rose at both Washington University in St Louis and University of Chicago across 2013–2023, with a wide pace gap, while acceptance rates tightened on both sides. Growth plus a shared selectivity squeeze is the board's distinctive shape.

  • University of Chicago: enrollment grew +32.4% over 2013–2023; fitted +218 students/yr fitted, r² 0.96.
  • Washington University in St Louis: enrollment grew +15.3% over 2013–2023; fitted +104 students/yr fitted, r² 0.96.
  • Washington University in St Louis: acceptance rate tightened -23.1% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.71).
  • University of Chicago: acceptance rate tightened -45.6% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.85).

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 University of Chicago

  1. ACCEPTANCE-RATE University of Chicago leads on acceptance rate (4.5% vs 12.1% at Washington University in St Louis)
  2. AVG-NET-PRICE University of Chicago leads on avg net price ($14,860 vs $21,786 at Washington University in St Louis)
  3. MEDIAN-DEBT-AT-GRA University of Chicago leads on median debt at graduation ($15,000 vs $17,500 at Washington University in St Louis)

Washington University in St Louis profile · University of Chicago profile · Compare other colleges

Acceptance Rate and other Scorecard questions

On acceptance rate, who leads between Washington University in St Louis and University of Chicago?▼
University of Chicago leads on acceptance rate at 4.5% versus 12.1% at Washington University in St Louis. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On avg net price, who leads between Washington University in St Louis and University of Chicago?▼
University of Chicago leads on avg net price at $14,860 versus $21,786 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 University of Chicago?▼
University of Chicago leads on median debt at graduation at $15,000 versus $17,500 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