Washington U., Saint Louis

Rankings

Data year Earned doctorates Full-time graduate students Total R&D expenditures
Rank Percentile Institutions ranked Rank Percentile Institutions ranked Rank Percentile Institutions ranked Rank Percentile Institutions ranked
2023 67 85.7 459 49 92.1 602 27 97.2 914
2022 67 85.7 457 45 93.6 680 26 97.2 900
2021 68 85.1 447 42 94.1 691 43 92.9 583 25 97.4 908
2020 66 85.7 450 49 93.2 697 28 97.1 916
2019 68 85.1 447 51 92.9 696 50 91.8 589 28 97.1 914
2018 74 83.1 428 53 92.6 698 27 97.2 911
2017 69 84.1 425 84 88 684 51 91.4 575 28 97 898
2016 76 82.7 430 73 89.8 697 28 97 896
2015 67 84.6 426 79 88.8 693 50 91.5 570 27 97.1 898
2014 70 83.8 422 85 87.9 688 29 96.9 889
2013 89 84.3 555
NOTES:
  • 1. See TableBuilder for the prior year data.
  • 2. Blank white cells indicate data not available, not applicable, or institution not eligible for survey.
  • 3. Data from the Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities is collected every two years.

Data

Number of earned doctorates, by major field of study of recipients: 2023–14
Fields 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014
All fields 285 297 250 289 287 256 272 264 287 258
  Science and engineering 242 256 207 241 237 215 226 214 231 207
    Science 190 202 156 198 180 163 187 177 185 166
      Life science 94 115 88 103 90 87 107 107 97 97
        Agricultural sciences . . . 1 1 1 1 1 . 1
        Biological sciences 87 108 83 98 83 83 100 97 93 92
        Health sciences 7 7 5 4 6 3 6 9 4 4
      Physical sciences and earth sciences 38 26 25 36 44 27 33 24 33 29
        Chemistry 21 13 13 15 18 10 13 7 16 14
        Earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences 5 5 1 4 8 5 3 5 5 7
        Physics and astronomy 12 8 11 17 18 12 17 12 12 8
      Mathematics and computer sciences 20 23 12 15 14 11 10 16 23 5
        Computer sciences 12 11 9 8 8 6 6 7 15 4
        Mathematics 8 12 3 7 6 5 4 9 8 1
      Psychology and social sciences 38 38 31 44 32 38 37 30 32 35
        Psychology 10 16 15 15 9 11 6 10 12 9
        Anthropology 6 2 3 9 4 5 13 5 6 6
        Economics 14 8 8 9 10 12 10 14 8 12
        Political science and government 3 6 2 7 7 5 8 1 6 8
        Other social sciences 5 6 3 4 2 5 . . . .
    Engineering 52 54 51 43 57 52 39 37 46 41
      Aeronautical/astronautical engineering 1 . . . 1 . . . . 1
      Biological/biomedical sciences 20 24 20 17 19 31 20 15 16 18
      Chemical engineering 11 8 4 10 13 6 5 9 8 7
      Civil engineering 2 1 . . . . . . . .
      Electrical engineering 5 7 7 4 7 4 2 1 7 6
      Materials/metallurgical engineering 4 6 6 2 2 3 4 1 3 .
      Mechanical engineering 5 4 5 2 5 4 3 2 2 2
      Other engineering 4 4 9 8 10 4 5 9 10 7
  Non-science and engineering 43 41 43 48 50 41 46 50 56 51
    Education 1 . . . 5 1 1 3 1 1
      Education research . . . . 2 . . 2 1 1
      Teaching fields . . . . 1 1 . . . .
      Other education 1 . . . 2 . 1 1 . .
    Humanities 23 25 26 34 23 19 28 30 40 32
      Foreign languages & literature 4 8 3 12 4 7 8 9 15 11
      History 4 . 3 6 5 1 2 4 5 4
      Letters 7 11 14 9 7 7 8 8 9 9
      Other humanities and arts 8 6 6 7 7 4 10 9 11 8
    Other 19 16 17 14 22 21 17 17 15 18
      Business management/administration 9 9 10 5 9 9 10 9 8 8
      Fields not elsewhere classified (nec) 10 7 7 9 13 12 7 8 7 10

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates

Full-time graduate students in science, engineering, and health, by selected characteristics: 2022–13

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Fields of study are grouped as they appear in survey data table (https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvygradpostdoc/#tabs-2).

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

Part-time graduate students in science, engineering, and health, by selected characteristics: 2022–13

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Fields of study are grouped as they appear in survey data table (https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvygradpostdoc/#tabs-2).

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

Full-time graduate students in science, engineering, and health receiving primary support from federal sources, by field: 2022–13

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Fields of study are grouped as they appear in survey data table (https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvygradpostdoc/#tabs-2).

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

Full-time graduate students in science, engineering, and health, by type and primary source of support: 2022–13

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

Postdoctorates in science, engineering, and health, by selected characteristics: 2022–13

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Fields of study are grouped as they appear in survey data table (https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvygradpostdoc/#tabs-2).

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

Federally supported science, engineering, and health postdoctorates, by field: 2022–13

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Fields of study are grouped as they appear in survey data table (https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvygradpostdoc/#tabs-2).

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

Total R&D expenditures, by field: 2023–14
(Dollars in thousands)
Field 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014
. 1,168,861 1,047,098 989,214 920,215 887,088 816,139 754,462 741,115 694,069 664,752
. 0 0 1 5 4 2 57 80 0 0
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 7,269 6,035 5,490 5,890 6,616 8,341 8,522 7,686 7,146 6,254
. 70 164 407 712 1,130 3,071 2,388 2,311 4,407 15
. 480 361 727 755 678 24 185 201 0 6
. 5,644 5,415 3,546 2,952 1,873 913 16 0 0 0
. 7,186 4,836 5,044 4,844 4,256 3,601 3,204 2,851 2,260 2,155
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3,234 2,208
. 1,099,341 988,082 934,082 870,860 843,388 773,029 715,378 702,492 652,867 626,081
. 1,043,446 938,655 887,653 824,978 796,337 731,083 672,672 661,793 617,658 585,641
. 618,911 549,454 498,196 465,122 442,275 403,124 375,626 376,862 406,830 388,847
. 7 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 424,528 389,199 389,457 359,856 354,062 327,959 297,046 284,931 202,990 183,001
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7,838 13,793
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 1,309 1,584 840 959 639 616 671 519 608 514
. 178 1,737 3,116 3,303 2,992 2,341 2,290 3,268 2,965 3,169
. 8,442 7,209 6,121 6,052 6,129 5,578 5,603 5,871 6,148 6,825
. 2,859 1,631 1,374 1,191 1,259 1,556 1,056 1,251 1,062 1,009
. 23 10 55 0 77 78 63 85 43 0
. 131 175 225 7 126 164 21 0 0 57
. 501 460 584 653 739 543 693 703 0 0
. 756 831 162 231 207 762 279 306 664 660
. 1,448 155 348 300 110 9 0 157 355 292
. 6,986 6,678 6,083 5,509 5,676 5,045 6,642 5,649 6,066 9,374
. 6,986 6,678 6,083 5,509 5,676 5,045 6,642 5,649 6,066 6,492
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2,882
. 5,859 4,634 4,575 5,467 5,504 4,465 4,633 5,242 4,111 5,060
. 30,262 25,954 24,320 23,401 24,852 22,345 21,811 18,899 14,249 14,489
. 9,591 6,504 5,680 5,060 5,476 6,274 5,829 6,098 6,374 7,943
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 92 0 0 0
. 12,316 12,044 11,696 12,722 14,244 11,486 11,152 8,905 7,875 6,546
. 8,355 7,406 6,944 5,619 5,132 4,585 4,738 3,896 0 0
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 35,829 30,865 28,558 25,534 20,610 18,872 14,457 14,493 13,919 17,996
. 78 26 14 0 0 70 95 37 125 29
. 70 89 0 160 0 71 0 0 0 32
. 253 231 79 187 229 276 208 101 468 216
. 212 212 305 577 450 251 272 271 297 442
. 444 129 359 836 587 119 141 74 164 6
. 34,695 30,153 27,800 23,729 19,300 17,958 13,652 13,924 12,865 17,271
. 77 25 0 40 40 125 32 6 0 0
. 13,042 11,340 11,360 8,668 8,537 8,288 10,312 11,081 10,236 10,037

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Prior to FY 2016, expenditures for natural resources and conservation, materials science, anthropology, and industrial and manufacturing engineering were not collected separately. R&D expenditures in agricultural sciences decreased in FY 2016 because a number of disciplines previously reported in that field are now reported separately under natural resources and conservation.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Higher Education R&D Survey

Total R&D expenditures, by source of funds and R&D field: 2023
(Dollars in thousands)
Field All R&D expenditures Federal government State and local government Institution funds Business Nonprofit organizations All other sources
  All R&D fields 1,168,861 758,464 571 188,985 129,843 89,041 1,957
    Science 1,099,341 705,025 571 181,263 128,912 81,912 1,658
      Computer and information sciences 5,859 4,773 0 489 362 137 98
      Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 6,986 6,169 0 336 0 471 10
        Atmospheric science and meteorology 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Geological and earth sciences 6,986 6,169 0 336 0 471 10
        Ocean sciences and marine sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences nec 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Life sciences 1,043,446 658,608 571 175,146 128,294 79,279 1,548
        Agricultural sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Biological and biomedical sciences 424,528 285,482 68 73,559 27,555 37,264 600
        Health sciences 618,911 373,126 503 101,580 100,739 42,015 948
        Natural resources and conservation 7 0 0 7 0 0 0
        Life sciences nec 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Mathematics and statistics 1,309 1,118 0 175 0 16 0
      Physical sciences 30,262 25,365 0 3,559 256 1,082 0
        Astronomy and astrophysics 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Chemistry 12,316 9,328 0 2,340 137 511 0
        Materials science 8,355 7,184 0 838 119 214 0
        Physics 9,591 8,853 0 381 0 357 0
        Physical sciences nec 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Psychology 8,442 7,120 0 742 0 578 2
      Social sciences 2,859 1,759 0 751 0 349 0
        Anthropology 501 141 0 120 0 240 0
        Economics 23 0 0 23 0 0 0
        Political science and government 756 693 0 35 0 28 0
        Sociology, demography, and population studies 131 0 0 50 0 81 0
        Social sciences nec 1,448 925 0 523 0 0 0
      Sciences nec 178 113 0 65 0 0 0
    Engineering 33,691 28,140 0 2,421 169 2,772 189
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Bioengineering and biomedical engineering 13,042 10,780 0 931 9 1,322 0
      Chemical engineering 7,269 6,102 0 857 72 169 69
      Civil engineering 70 69 0 1 0 0 0
      Electrical, electronic, and communications engineering 7,186 5,734 0 397 0 1,055 0
      Industrial and manufacturing engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Mechanical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Metallurgical and materials engineering 5,644 5,005 0 205 88 226 120
      Engineering nec 480 450 0 30 0 0 0
    Non-S&E 35,829 25,299 0 5,301 762 4,357 110
      Business management and business administration 253 0 0 86 0 118 49
      Communication and communications technologies 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Education 212 0 0 78 0 134 0
      Humanities 444 231 0 141 0 72 0
      Law 78 6 0 22 0 50 0
      Social work 34,695 25,054 0 4,922 762 3,896 61
      Visual and performing arts 70 0 0 27 0 43 0
      Non-S&E nec 77 8 0 25 0 44 0

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Prior to FY 2016, expenditures for natural resources and conservation, materials science, anthropology, and industrial and manufacturing engineering were not collected separately. R&D expenditures in agricultural sciences decreased in FY 2016 because a number of disciplines previously reported in that field are now reported separately under natural resources and conservation.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Higher Education R&D Survey

Federally funded R&D expenditures, by federal agency: 2023–14
(Dollars in thousands)
Source of funds 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014
Federal Agencies 758,464 681,353 606,127 559,882 543,508 506,006 474,446 442,335 432,228 419,122
  DOD 25,612 24,820 21,588 15,787 14,733 14,766 11,146 10,334 8,185 8,470
  DOE 8,503 7,135 6,708 6,569 9,068 10,498 11,115 11,158 11,820 10,304
  HHS 689,724 617,453 547,520 506,937 488,527 450,670 421,091 391,529 385,426 371,906
  NASA 10,851 9,549 8,814 7,150 7,088 7,348 8,790 7,646 7,987 8,373
  NSF 21,715 20,371 19,938 21,551 20,740 19,054 18,673 18,016 15,281 17,380
  USDA 431 524 481 122 92 381 256 308 282 85
  Other 1,628 1,501 1,078 1,766 3,260 3,289 3,375 3,344 3,247 2,604

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Higher Education R&D Survey

Headcount of R&D personnel: 2023–17 [temporarily discontinued]
Year
2023 . . . .
2022 . . . .
2021 . . . .
2020 . . . .
2019 8,405 1,521 6,884 .
2018 8,223 1,432 6,791 .
2017 7,998 1,400 6,598 .

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Higher Education R&D Survey

Science and engineering research space in academic institutions, by field: 2023–14
(Net assignable square feet in thousands)
Field, medical school space, and research animal space 2023 2021 2019 2017 2015
  All research space 1,382 1,475 1,215 1,146 1,162
    Agricultural sciences 0 0 0 0 0
    Biological and biomedical sciences 545 548 416 367 327
    Computer and information sciences 13 4 4 0 0
    Engineering 84 118 71 34 81
    Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 33 21 19 24 18
    Health sciences 562 659 601 623 633
    Mathematics and statistics 2 1 1 0 1
    Natural resources and conservation 0 0 0 0 0
    Physical sciences 128 95 82 66 58
    Psychology 8 11 11 14 13
    Social sciences 6 17 10 18 20
    Other 0 0 0 0 12

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Data from the Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities is collected every two years.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities

New construction of science and engineering research space, by field and time of construction: 2025–16
(Net assignable square feet in thousands)
Field, medical school space, and research animal space Planned to start in FY 2024 or FY 2025 Started in FY 2022 or FY 2023 Started in FY 2020 or FY 2021 Started in FY 2018 or FY 2019 Started in FY 2016 or FY 2017 Started in FY 2020 or FY 2021
  All research space . . 284,498 44,987 48,353 0
    Biological and biomedical sciences . . 142,249 0 0 0
    Engineering . . . 44,987 48,353 0
    Health sciences . . 142,249 0 0 0

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Data from the Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities is collected every two years.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities

Costs for repair and renovation of science and engineering research space in academic institutions, by field and time of repair and renovation: 2025–16
(Dollars in thousands)
Field, medical school space, and research animal space Planned to start in FY 2024 or FY 2025 Started in FY 2022 or FY 2023 Started in FY 2020 or FY 2021 Started in FY 2018 or FY 2019 Started in FY 2016 or FY 2017
  All research space 82,756 36,777 41,249 48,553 83,593
    Agricultural sciences 0 0 0 0 0
    Biological and biomedical sciences 34,891 11,121 23,513 26,224 8,475
    Computer and information sciences 0 0 0 0 0
    Engineering 8,000 6,999 2,396 3,951 8,275
    Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 0 0 500 0 900
    Health sciences 35,766 14,693 13,749 12,512 24,351
    Mathematics and statistics 0 0 0 0 0
    Natural resources and conservation 0 0 0 0 0
    Physical sciences 3,824 2,965 1,090 5,505 40,730
    Psychology 275 0 0 0 862
    Social sciences 0 1,000 0 361 0
    Other 0 0 0 0 0

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Data from the Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities is collected every two years.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities