WashU recently welcomed the Class of 2029, the second-largest cohort in the school’s history. In comparison to the Class of 2028, this class saw an increase in rural and international students and a decrease in students from first-generation and low-income (FGLI) backgrounds, along with varied fluctuations in racial and ethnic minority enrollment.

WashU received 33,283 applications in its most recent admissions cycle, of which 3,968 applicants were admitted, and 1,963 students enrolled. While all three metrics increased over the previous year the 6% jump in enrolled students is the biggest increase in class size since the Class of 2025, which still holds the record for largest first-year enrollment.

The first-year class also continued a long-term shift toward Early Decision (ED) in WashU’s enrollment data. In 2016, ED applicants represented only about one-third of enrolled students, but by the Class of 2028, they represented nearly two-thirds of the incoming class. 

WashU’s growing reliance on ED also mirrors a national pattern, as universities lean more heavily on ED to mitigate uncertainties in their class and secure commitments earlier in the admissions cycle. However, WashU’s and other elite universities’ usage of ED in admissions was recently challenged in court as misleading and in violation of federal antitrust laws.

In addition, the acceptance rate held steady at about 12%, while the percentage of admitted students who chose to enroll at WashU — called the yield rate — reached its highest point in at least ten years. Much of this increase can be attributed to the increasing proportion of ED admits within each class, who, by definition, must enroll if admitted. 

In an interview with Student Life, Grace Chapin James, the Assistant Vice Provost of Undergraduate Admissions, shared that yield uncertainty was one of the driving factors behind the increased size of this year’s incoming class. 

“There was a lot of uncertainty related to the enrollment of international citizens when we sent out admission offers,” she said. “We still wanted a typically sized class, so we made more offers of admission than typical. The great news is that because of the support from the Office of International Scholars and students getting their visas, many of the international students were still able to enroll.”

The Class of 2029 includes international students from 29 countries, who account for 12% of the total incoming class — a number that has increased from last year’s 11%, despite some other universities reporting a steep decline in international students. James noted that international students are admitted through the same holistic review process as domestic applicants and stressed their importance to WashU’s campus culture.

“They contribute significantly to the academic and cultural life of the University,” she said.

This increase continues a general upward trend of international students admitted each year over the past decade, in particular since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Class of 2029 also marks the second class admitted under race-neutral admissions standards, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in 2023 that banned race-based affirmative action in college admissions. 

James said that within the boundaries of legality, WashU has focused on broadening access to underrepresented groups through new pipelines, particularly by recruiting students from rural areas and low-income backgrounds.

While the Class of 2028, the first class admitted after the Affirmative Action ruling, showed a decline in the percentage of students of color compared to the Class of 2027, James suggested that WashU’s expanded outreach could already be offsetting some of the loss in racial diversity seen in the Class of 2028. 

“We are proud of the diversity of this year’s class across many dimensions,” she said, emphasizing socioeconomic, geographic, and academic variety. “I am also super proud of what my team has done to make sure that we represent a really wide range of students at WashU and are able to recognize the talent that’s out there.”

The University has placed particular emphasis on enrolling students from rural backgrounds. 

James described targeted outreach efforts, including travel to smaller towns, collaboration with rural high schools, and virtual programming designed to reach students who may not otherwise have access to selective universities. 

WashU has also joined the Stars College Network, a coalition of institutions focused on broadening opportunities for rural students, and recently launched the Rural Scholars Academy for high school sophomores from rural or small towns. This summer marked the first year that students from the latter program matriculated at WashU — 10 of them joined the Class of 2029. One in 20 new students are also WashU Pledge-eligible, meaning they come from low-income families in Missouri or southern Illinois.

As a result of these efforts, the share of rural students in the incoming class rose to 8%, up from 6% the year prior. 15% of new first-years are from Missouri, up from 14% last year and 9% a decade ago.

While WashU has notably increased its rural student population, its efforts to recruit more students from low-income backgrounds have not seen measurable returns. As such, 16% of the new class is low-income, down from 20% last year. The percentage of students receiving need-based aid fell from 48% with the Class of 2028 to 42% among the Class of 2029, according to the University’s Common Data Set, and Pell-eligible students with exceptional financial need also fell slightly, from 25% to 23%. There were also fewer first-generation students enrolled this year (16%, down from 18% last year). 

James acknowledged these decreases, but noted that the rising proportion of international students, who are not Pell-eligible and less likely to be first-generation, can influence these percentages. 

The admissions office expects to release a detailed demographic profile of the Class of 2029 later this fall. For now, James highlighted the resilience of the applicant pool and the adaptability of both the University and its incoming students.

“Every year looks a little different,” she said, “but our commitment to access and excellence remains the same.”