Washington U., Saint Louis

Rankings

Data year Earned doctorates Full-time graduate students Total R&D expenditures Research space
Rank Percentile Institutions ranked Rank Percentile Institutions ranked Rank Percentile Institutions ranked Rank Percentile Institutions ranked
2024 53 88.8 459 45 93.1 631 30 96.9 925
2023 67 85.7 459 48 93.1 679 27 97.2 911 49 92.1 602
2022 67 85.7 457 45 93.6 680 26 97.2 900
2021 68 85.1 447 42 94.1 691 25 97.4 908 43 92.9 583
2020 66 85.7 450 49 93.2 698 28 97.1 916
2019 68 85.1 447 51 92.9 697 28 97.1 914 50 91.8 589
2018 74 83.1 428 53 92.6 700 27 97.2 911
2017 69 84.1 425 84 88 684 28 97 898 51 91.4 575
2016 76 82.7 430 73 89.8 697 28 97 896
2015 67 84.6 426 79 88.8 693 27 97.1 898 50 91.5 570
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 trend major field of study of recipients: 2024–15
Fields 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
All fields 342 285 297 250 289 287 256 272 264 287
  Science and engineering 286 242 256 207 241 237 215 226 214 231
    Agricultural sciences and natural resources . . . . 1 1 1 1 1 .
      Agricultural sciences . . . . 1 . . 1 1 .
      Natural resources and conservation . . . . . 1 1 . . .
    Biological and biomedical sciences 126 87 108 83 98 83 83 100 97 93
      Biochemistry and biophysics 9 7 5 7 10 4 9 11 12 7
      Biology and biomedical sciences, general 12 3 10 4 7 6 3 6 7 6
      Bioinformatics, biostatistics, and computational biology 9 11 10 6 1 4 9 6 9 2
      Cellular and developmental biology, and anatomy 7 3 2 5 7 3 6 7 7 13
      Ecology, evolutionary biology, and epidemiology 5 4 3 3 4 5 1 6 2 3
      Genetics and genomics 20 11 12 10 15 17 11 10 4 10
      Microbiology and immunology 30 14 22 21 25 14 22 19 26 27
      Molecular biology 9 11 10 9 7 7 5 13 5 5
      Neurobiology and neurosciences 18 18 23 14 16 17 14 16 17 15
      Physiology, pathology, and cancer biology 1 2 5 4 2 4 1 4 4 3
      Biology and biomedical sciences, other 6 3 6 . 4 2 2 2 4 2
    Computer and information sciences 11 12 11 9 8 8 6 6 7 15
      Computer science 8 11 9 9 8 8 6 6 6 15
      Computer and information sciences, other 3 1 2 . . . . . 1 .
    Engineering 63 52 54 51 43 57 52 39 37 46
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 2 1 . . . 1 . . . .
      Bioengineering and biomedical engineering 20 20 24 20 17 19 31 20 15 16
      Chemical and petroleum engineering 5 11 8 4 10 13 6 5 9 8
      Civil, environmental, and transportation engineering 7 4 2 4 2 1 2 2 5 2
      Electrical and computer engineering 14 5 8 10 6 11 5 3 4 10
      Industrial engineering and operations research . . . 1 3 3 . . 1 2
      Materials and mining engineering 3 4 6 6 2 2 3 4 1 3
      Mechanical engineering 7 5 4 5 2 5 4 3 2 3
      Engineering, other 5 2 2 1 1 2 1 2 . 2
    Geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences 7 5 5 1 4 8 5 3 5 5
      Geological sciences 1 4 5 1 3 8 5 2 5 5
      Ocean, marine, and atmospheric sciences 6 1 . . 1 . . 1 . .
    Health sciences 9 7 7 5 4 6 3 6 9 4
      Nursing science 1 . . . . . . . . .
      Public health 4 . 3 1 . 1 . . 3 .
      Health sciences, other 4 7 4 4 4 5 3 6 6 4
    Mathematics and statistics 8 8 12 3 7 6 5 4 9 8
      Applied mathematics 1 2 . . . . . 1 1 2
      Mathematics 2 . 2 1 2 2 1 3 1 4
      Statistics 2 5 2 1 2 1 2 . . 1
      Mathematics and statistics, other 3 1 8 1 3 3 2 . 7 1
    Physical sciences 23 33 21 24 32 36 22 30 19 28
      Astronomy and astrophysics 2 1 . 4 1 1 . 4 2 3
      Chemistry 11 21 13 13 15 18 10 13 7 16
      Physics 10 11 8 7 16 17 12 13 10 9
    Psychology 13 10 16 15 15 9 11 6 10 12
      Clinical psychology 4 6 4 4 5 5 4 . 5 2
      Counseling and applied psychology . . 1 . . . . . . 1
      Research and experimental psychology 8 4 9 7 9 4 5 5 5 6
      Psychology, other 1 . 2 4 1 . 2 1 . 3
    Social sciences 26 28 22 16 29 23 27 31 20 20
      Anthropology 6 6 2 3 9 4 5 13 5 6
      Economics 9 14 8 8 9 10 12 10 14 8
      Political science and government 6 3 6 2 7 7 5 8 1 6
      Social sciences, other 5 5 6 3 4 2 5 . . .
  Non-science and engineering 56 43 41 43 48 50 41 46 50 56
    Business 14 9 9 10 5 9 9 10 9 8
      Business 14 9 9 10 5 9 9 10 9 8
    Education 1 1 . . . 5 1 1 3 1
      Education research 1 . . . . 2 . . 2 1
      Teacher education and teaching fields . . . . . 1 1 . . .
      Education, other . 1 . . . 2 . 1 1 .
    Humanities and arts 31 23 25 26 34 23 19 28 30 40
      Letters 9 7 11 14 9 7 7 8 8 9
      Foreign languages and literature 12 4 8 3 12 4 7 8 9 15
      History 1 4 . 3 6 5 1 2 4 5
      Philosophy and religious studies 3 4 1 5 1 2 2 5 3 5
      Music and performing arts 1 2 1 1 3 3 . 1 3 2
      Humanities and arts, other 5 2 4 . 3 2 2 4 3 4
    Other non-science and engineering 10 10 7 7 9 13 12 7 8 7
      Public administration and social services 9 9 6 5 9 13 12 7 8 7
      Non-science and engineering, other 1 1 1 2 . . . . . .

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: 2024–15
All races 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
  U.S. citizens and permanent residents 1,425 1,270 1,316 1,353 1,276 1,268 1,220 946 1,105 1,055
    Hispanic or Latino 133 110 112 40 41 111 88 70 71 58
    Not Hispanic or Latino 1,236 1,114 1,159 1,261 1,172 1,090 1,054 803 963 923
      American Indian or Alaska Native 0 6 8 6 9 7 6 8 5 9
      Asian 252 232 232 221 201 206 170 112 123 130
      Black or African American 112 102 99 92 81 74 65 40 51 52
      Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 14
      White 815 743 791 819 785 770 783 623 751 701
      More than one race 52 31 29 123 96 33 30 18 32 17
    Unknown ethnicity and race 56 46 45 52 63 67 78 73 71 74
  Temporary visa holders 1,942 1,915 1,941 1,941 1,279 1,337 1,215 801 929 889
  Science and engineering 3,121 2,953 3,044 3,061 2,365 2,416 2,262 1,717 1,968 1,892
    Science 2,184 2,090 2,112 2,185 1,568 1,595 1,523 1,084 1,287 1,255
      Agricultural and veterinary sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Biological and biomedical sciences 846 819 791 699 662 634 614 604 601 594
      Communication 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Computer and information sciences 215 188 249 242 176 226 212 15 159 145
      Family and consumer sciences and human sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences 32 32 35 35 29 30 30 30 30 33
      Mathematics and statistics 409 508 536 747 245 226 172 62 60 42
      Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary sciences 113 36 34 17 11 5 0 0 0 0
      Natural resources and conservation 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Physical sciences 224 190 172 178 187 182 215 200 181 178
      Psychology 74 72 71 69 76 84 83 0 86 84
      Social sciences 271 245 224 198 182 208 197 173 170 179
    Engineering 937 863 932 876 797 821 739 633 681 637
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 27 31 33 42 36 34 21 25 0 0
      Biological, biomedical, and biosystems engineering 217 201 226 206 186 174 153 157 138 121
      Chemical, petroleum, and chemical-related engineering 35 23 30 36 44 59 45 28 134 141
      Civil, environmental, transportation and related engineering fields 1 0 3 7 7 0 0 0 0 0
      Electrical, electronics, communications and computer engineering 212 198 234 209 170 187 200 171 191 199
      Industrial, manufacturing, systems engineering and operations research 26 20 21 24 24 34 38 38 36 39
      Mechanical engineering 110 96 112 118 104 113 117 120 164 123
      Metallurgical, mining, materials and related engineering fields 7 15 16 14 12 15 16 10 18 14
      Other engineering 302 279 257 220 214 205 149 84 0 0
    Health 246 232 213 233 190 189 173 30 66 52
      Clinical medicine 221 219 203 217 155 165 153 15 46 32
      Other health 25 13 10 16 35 24 20 15 20 20

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: 2024–15
All races 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
  U.S. citizens and permanent residents 234 249 283 308 353 317 278 299 218 186
    Hispanic or Latino 13 7 16 8 12 24 26 40 22 12
    Not Hispanic or Latino 203 225 244 281 309 272 229 229 174 162
      American Indian or Alaska Native 0 0 2 1 1 2 2 2 1 1
      Asian 31 39 48 44 40 33 31 36 23 22
      Black or African American 21 29 26 14 21 18 15 20 9 10
      Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      White 146 149 162 206 232 213 176 169 135 125
      More than one race 5 8 6 16 15 6 5 2 6 4
    Unknown ethnicity and race 18 17 23 19 32 21 23 30 22 12
  Temporary visa holders 128 110 155 52 56 50 32 26 25 17
  Science and engineering 334 324 409 322 349 336 282 287 204 170
    Science 166 162 229 142 146 148 138 117 64 52
      Agricultural and veterinary sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Biological and biomedical sciences 14 20 35 43 53 58 48 42 1 1
      Communication 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Computer and information sciences 40 47 57 55 48 58 51 35 60 49
      Family and consumer sciences and human sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Mathematics and statistics 99 72 111 26 24 11 15 10 0 0
      Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary sciences 7 9 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Natural resources and conservation 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Physical sciences 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 2 1
      Psychology 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Social sciences 6 14 19 17 20 20 23 29 1 1
    Engineering 168 162 180 180 203 188 144 170 140 118
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 34 26 27 27 29 22 11 26 0 0
      Biological, biomedical, and biosystems engineering 4 3 7 6 3 3 0 3 0 0
      Chemical, petroleum, and chemical-related engineering 4 3 6 2 16 7 3 5 4 3
      Civil, environmental, transportation and related engineering fields 3 1 2 2 4 4 8 8 0 0
      Electrical, electronics, communications and computer engineering 28 38 47 40 35 50 39 32 33 24
      Industrial, manufacturing, systems engineering and operations research 6 8 10 13 19 12 11 10 5 7
      Mechanical engineering 38 43 41 52 57 52 54 66 98 84
      Metallurgical, mining, materials and related engineering fields 3 4 6 4 4 7 4 5 0 0
      Other engineering 48 36 34 34 36 31 14 15 0 0
    Health 28 35 29 38 60 31 28 38 39 33
      Clinical medicine 27 35 29 38 47 11 5 10 39 33
      Other health 1 0 0 0 13 20 23 28 0 0

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: 2024–15
Field 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
All surveyed fields 464 559 405 358 375 410 425 409 662 643
  Science and engineering 437 540 389 342 361 394 409 399 639 619
    Science 383 392 379 332 326 355 375 362 462 457
      Agricultural and veterinary sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Biological and biomedical sciences 307 294 304 255 263 286 278 306 325 298
      Communication 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Computer and information sciences 3 26 1 1 1 7 17 0 35 43
      Family and consumer sciences and human sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences 10 6 9 12 7 8 7 5 9 20
      Mathematics and statistics 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 4
      Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary sciences 5 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Natural resources and conservation 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Physical sciences 41 52 47 38 34 31 57 48 70 66
      Psychology 11 5 11 21 18 20 12 0 19 17
      Social sciences 5 3 6 3 2 3 4 3 3 9
    Engineering 54 148 10 10 35 39 34 37 177 162
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Biological, biomedical, and biosystems engineering 34 56 6 5 24 18 16 21 78 69
      Chemical, petroleum, and chemical-related engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 44 47
      Civil, environmental, transportation and related engineering fields 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Electrical, electronics, communications and computer engineering 6 26 1 0 7 12 12 8 31 26
      Industrial, manufacturing, systems engineering and operations research 1 5 1 1 0 1 2 2 3 4
      Mechanical engineering 3 19 2 1 4 5 3 3 21 16
      Metallurgical, mining, materials and related engineering fields 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Other engineering 10 42 0 3 0 3 1 3 0 0
    Health 27 19 16 16 14 16 16 10 23 24
      Clinical medicine 27 19 16 16 1 1 2 0 17 17
      Other health 0 0 0 0 13 15 14 10 6 7

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: 2024–15
Type and primary source of support 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
All types and sources of support 3,367 3,185 3,257 3,294 2,555 2,605 2,435 1,747 2,034 1,944
  Fellowships 737 991 886 802 801 805 823 811 607 578
    Federal 140 130 165 165 159 172 186 177 215 204
    Institutional 594 820 695 595 600 610 608 617 368 346
    Nonfederal 3 41 26 42 42 23 29 17 24 28
  Research assistantships 1,064 978 925 893 871 766 731 541 651 653
    Federal 314 427 235 181 209 215 237 230 434 432
    Institutional 690 492 640 667 614 517 462 294 163 157
    Nonfederal 60 59 50 45 48 34 32 17 54 64
  Teaching assistantships 0 1 0 2 0 0 3 0 229 238
    Federal 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
    Institutional 0 1 0 2 0 0 1 0 229 238
    Nonfederal 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
  Other types of support 1,566 1,215 1,446 1,597 883 1,034 878 395 547 475
    Federal 10 2 5 12 7 23 1 2 13 7
    Institutional 399 300 316 340 184 302 215 117 20 8
    Nonfederal 2 12 15 10 3 8 7 1 9 7
    Personal resources 1,155 901 1,110 1,235 689 701 655 275 505 453

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: 2024–15
All races 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
  Science and engineering 530 474 433 323 387 375 345 331 335 330
    Science 455 413 384 278 343 331 310 293 293 288
      Agricultural and veterinary sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
      Biological and biomedical sciences 339 292 264 192 266 250 235 229 208 214
      Communication 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Computer and information sciences 2 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 1 1
      Family and consumer sciences and human sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1
      Geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences 6 6 9 10 7 6 6 7 10 7
      Mathematics and statistics 10 14 16 8 8 6 4 5 6 4
      Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary sciences 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 1 0 0
      Natural resources and conservation 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Physical sciences 54 37 31 34 35 33 32 23 24 16
      Psychology 15 37 32 7 5 4 9 9 6 8
      Social sciences 27 26 32 25 20 29 23 19 27 27
    Engineering 75 61 49 45 44 44 35 38 42 42
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Biological, biomedical, and biosystems engineering 24 22 18 19 14 14 11 12 24 27
      Chemical, petroleum, and chemical-related engineering 26 21 15 14 9 10 8 9 6 4
      Civil, environmental, transportation and related engineering fields 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Electrical, electronics, communications and computer engineering 7 7 6 5 10 10 8 7 5 3
      Industrial, manufacturing, systems engineering and operations research 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Mechanical engineering 17 11 10 7 11 10 8 10 7 7
      Metallurgical, mining, materials and related engineering fields 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Other engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
    Health 492 468 509 473 364 357 320 280 294 285
      Clinical medicine 483 462 501 471 359 351 310 274 292 283
      Other health 9 6 8 2 5 6 10 6 2 2

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: 2024–15
Field 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
All surveyed fields 683 616 577 414 466 460 416 406 403 382
  Science and engineering 352 304 272 165 232 226 216 206 206 201
    Science 304 260 239 141 196 193 193 181 177 173
      Agricultural and veterinary sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Biological and biomedical sciences 244 202 185 108 165 161 159 156 140 138
      Communication 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Computer and information sciences 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 0
      Family and consumer sciences and human sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
      Geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences 4 3 5 4 1 4 2 3 8 5
      Mathematics and statistics 2 1 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary sciences 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
      Natural resources and conservation 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Physical sciences 42 28 23 19 24 22 24 14 17 13
      Psychology 9 25 22 5 4 3 7 8 5 6
      Social sciences 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 4 4
    Engineering 48 44 33 24 36 33 23 25 29 28
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Biological, biomedical, and biosystems engineering 18 20 14 9 11 10 7 8 19 18
      Chemical, petroleum, and chemical-related engineering 14 12 8 6 8 9 7 8 5 4
      Civil, environmental, transportation and related engineering fields 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Electrical, electronics, communications and computer engineering 6 4 4 4 7 7 5 4 3 1
      Industrial, manufacturing, systems engineering and operations research 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Mechanical engineering 10 8 7 5 10 7 4 5 2 5
      Metallurgical, mining, materials and related engineering fields 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Other engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
    Health 331 312 305 249 234 234 200 200 197 181
      Clinical medicine 324 308 298 247 230 232 196 195 196 179
      Other health 7 4 7 2 4 2 4 5 1 2

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: 2024–15
(Dollars in thousands)
Field 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
  All R&D fields 1,243,115 1,168,861 1,047,098 989,214 920,215 887,088 816,139 754,462 741,115 694,069
    Science 1,165,385 1,099,341 988,082 934,082 870,860 843,388 773,029 715,378 702,492 652,867
      Computer and information sciences 5,731 5,859 4,634 4,575 5,467 5,504 4,465 4,633 5,242 4,111
      Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 7,461 6,986 6,678 6,083 5,509 5,676 5,045 6,642 5,649 6,066
        Atmospheric science and meteorology 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Geological and earth sciences 7,461 6,986 6,678 6,083 5,509 5,676 5,045 6,642 5,649 6,066
        Ocean sciences and marine sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences nec 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Life sciences 1,103,045 1,043,446 938,655 887,653 824,978 796,337 731,083 672,672 661,793 617,658
        Agricultural sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Biological and biomedical sciences 453,547 424,528 389,199 389,457 359,856 354,062 327,959 297,046 284,931 202,990
        Health sciences 649,390 618,911 549,454 498,196 465,122 442,275 403,124 375,626 376,862 406,830
        Natural resources and conservation 108 7 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Life sciences nec 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7,838
      Mathematics and statistics 1,434 1,309 1,584 840 959 639 616 671 519 608
      Physical sciences 32,367 30,262 25,954 24,320 23,401 24,852 22,345 21,811 18,899 14,249
        Astronomy and astrophysics 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 92 0 0
        Chemistry 11,890 12,316 12,044 11,696 12,722 14,244 11,486 11,152 8,905 7,875
        Materials science 9,347 8,355 7,406 6,944 5,619 5,132 4,585 4,738 3,896 0
        Physics 11,130 9,591 6,504 5,680 5,060 5,476 6,274 5,829 6,098 6,374
        Physical sciences nec 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Psychology 10,421 8,442 7,209 6,121 6,052 6,129 5,578 5,603 5,871 6,148
      Social sciences 4,926 2,859 1,631 1,374 1,191 1,259 1,556 1,056 1,251 1,062
        Anthropology 1,168 501 460 584 653 739 543 693 703 0
        Economics 123 23 10 55 0 77 78 63 85 43
        Political science and government 772 756 831 162 231 207 762 279 306 664
        Sociology, demography, and population studies 231 131 175 225 7 126 164 21 0 0
        Social sciences nec 2,632 1,448 155 348 300 110 9 0 157 355
      Sciences nec 0 178 1,737 3,116 3,303 2,992 2,341 2,290 3,268 2,965
    Engineering 43,826 33,691 28,151 26,574 23,821 23,090 24,238 24,627 24,130 27,283
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Bioengineering and biomedical engineering 15,747 13,042 11,340 11,360 8,668 8,537 8,288 10,312 11,081 10,236
      Chemical engineering 15,144 7,269 6,035 5,490 5,890 6,616 8,341 8,522 7,686 7,146
      Civil engineering 23 70 164 407 712 1,130 3,071 2,388 2,311 4,407
      Electrical, electronic, and communications engineering 6,384 7,186 4,836 5,044 4,844 4,256 3,601 3,204 2,851 2,260
      Industrial and manufacturing engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Mechanical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3,234
      Metallurgical and materials engineering 5,996 5,644 5,415 3,546 2,952 1,873 913 16 0 0
      Engineering nec 532 480 361 727 755 678 24 185 201 0
    Non-S&E 33,904 35,829 30,865 28,558 25,534 20,610 18,872 14,457 14,493 13,919
      Business management and business administration 21 253 231 79 187 229 276 208 101 468
      Communication and communications technologies 0 0 0 1 5 4 2 57 80 0
      Education 382 212 212 305 577 450 251 272 271 297
      Humanities 390 444 129 359 836 587 119 141 74 164
      Law 154 78 26 14 0 0 70 95 37 125
      Social work 32,866 34,695 30,153 27,800 23,729 19,300 17,958 13,652 13,924 12,865
      Visual and performing arts 38 70 89 0 160 0 71 0 0 0
      Non-S&E nec 53 77 25 0 40 40 125 32 6 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

Total R&D expenditures, by source of funds and R&D field: 2024
(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 1,243,115 821,852 401 199,087 121,727 98,504 1,544
    Science 1,165,385 765,177 298 189,816 120,948 87,848 1,298
      Computer and information sciences 5,731 4,935 0 496 112 188 0
      Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 7,461 6,762 0 298 0 401 0
        Atmospheric science and meteorology 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Geological and earth sciences 7,461 6,762 0 298 0 401 0
        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 1,103,045 712,390 298 183,776 120,585 84,711 1,285
        Agricultural sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Biological and biomedical sciences 453,547 310,639 228 79,689 18,759 43,945 287
        Health sciences 649,390 401,692 70 104,057 101,826 40,747 998
        Natural resources and conservation 108 59 0 30 0 19 0
        Life sciences nec 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Mathematics and statistics 1,434 1,369 0 64 0 1 0
      Physical sciences 32,367 27,996 0 3,132 251 988 0
        Astronomy and astrophysics 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Chemistry 11,890 9,238 0 2,221 90 341 0
        Materials science 9,347 8,475 0 586 161 125 0
        Physics 11,130 10,283 0 325 0 522 0
        Physical sciences nec 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Psychology 10,421 9,167 0 736 0 518 0
      Social sciences 4,926 2,558 0 1,314 0 1,041 13
        Anthropology 1,168 304 0 169 0 695 0
        Economics 123 52 0 58 0 0 13
        Political science and government 772 523 0 87 0 162 0
        Sociology, demography, and population studies 231 81 0 54 0 96 0
        Social sciences nec 2,632 1,598 0 946 0 88 0
      Sciences nec 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
    Engineering 43,826 33,435 0 3,640 238 6,496 17
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Bioengineering and biomedical engineering 15,747 13,614 0 917 30 1,186 0
      Chemical engineering 15,144 9,750 0 1,891 126 3,360 17
      Civil engineering 23 23 0 0 0 0 0
      Electrical, electronic, and communications engineering 6,384 4,962 0 400 82 940 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 5,996 4,586 0 400 0 1,010 0
      Engineering nec 532 500 0 32 0 0 0
    Non-S&E 33,904 23,240 103 5,631 541 4,160 229
      Business management and business administration 21 0 0 7 0 14 0
      Communication and communications technologies 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Education 382 130 0 88 0 164 0
      Humanities 390 0 0 217 0 89 84
      Law 154 0 0 42 0 112 0
      Social work 32,866 23,110 103 5,241 541 3,726 145
      Visual and performing arts 38 0 0 17 0 21 0
      Non-S&E nec 53 0 0 19 0 34 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: 2024–15
(Dollars in thousands)
Source of funds 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
Federal Agencies 821,852 758,464 681,353 606,127 559,882 543,508 506,006 474,446 442,335 432,228
  DOD 24,734 25,612 24,820 21,588 15,787 14,733 14,766 11,146 10,334 8,185
  DOE 11,303 8,503 7,135 6,708 6,569 9,068 10,498 11,115 11,158 11,820
  HHS 743,957 689,724 617,453 547,520 506,937 488,527 450,670 421,091 391,529 385,426
  NASA 13,106 10,851 9,549 8,814 7,150 7,088 7,348 8,790 7,646 7,987
  NSF 25,025 21,715 20,371 19,938 21,551 20,740 19,054 18,673 18,016 15,281
  USDA 388 431 524 481 122 92 381 256 308 282
  Other 3,339 1,628 1,501 1,078 1,766 3,260 3,289 3,375 3,344 3,247

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: 2024–18 [temporarily discontinued]
Year
2024 . . . .
2023 . . . .
2022 . . . .
2021 . . . .
2020 . . . .
2019 8,405 1,521 6,884 .
2018 8,223 1,432 6,791 .

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
  All research space 0 0 284,498 44,987 48,353
    Agricultural sciences 0 0 0 0 0
    Biological and biomedical sciences 0 0 142,249 0 0
    Computer and information sciences 0 0 0 0 0
    Engineering 0 0 0 44,987 48,353
    Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 0 0 0 0 0
    Health sciences 0 0 142,249 0 0
    Mathematics and statistics 0 0 0 0 0
    Natural resources and conservation 0 0 0 0 0
    Physical sciences 0 0 0 0 0
    Psychology 0 0 0 0 0
    Social sciences 0 0 0 0 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

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

Open printer friendly view

Back to Top of page.