WU tuition to increase by 2.6% for the 2021-2022 academic year

and | Senior News Editors

Washington University’s annual tuition will increase by 2.6% to $57,750 for the 2021-2022 academic year, Vice Chancellor for Finance Amy Kweskin announced Wednesday.

Grace Bruton | Student Life

The increase is slightly lower than those of previous years, following a 3.8% increase in 2020 and a 3.5% increase for the five previous years.

“Washington University is mindful of the financial commitment and sacrifices you make to send your students here, and we are grateful for your steadfast support, especially during the extremely difficult challenges of the past year,” Provost Beverly Wendland wrote in an email to students and parents.

Due to the financial challenges that many students face during the pandemic, some colleges and universities have chosen to lower or freeze their tuition rates. However, many of the University’s peer institutions have taken a similar approach, choosing to increase tuition at a lower rate than previous years.

Wendland’s email included an FAQ document, which said that the University worked hard to keep tuition increases to a minimum but that “some adjustment is necessary to reflect the increased cost of operating an institution like ours.”

The student activity fee will be $578, an increase from $562 the previous academic year, and the health and wellness fee will be $538, an increase from $524.

The range of costs for on campus housing and meal plans also increased slightly. The cost of double occupancy housing rose from $11,512 – $12,000 to $11,846 – $12,350, while the range of costs for different meal plans rose from $4,516 – $6,274 to $4,638 – $6,443.

“During this global pandemic, many students are struggling financially,” Student Union President Ranen Miao said. “At the start of the pandemic, the financial aid office aggressively scaled up the money allocated towards supporting students. I hope they will continue increasing investment to move us towards need-blind admissions and meet the moment of economic depression we are in. Student Union is dedicated to ending food, housing, and economic insecurity on our campus, and will continue working with the financial aid office to meet student needs.”

Sign up for the email edition

Stay up to date with everything happening at Washington University and beyond.

Subscribe