Washington University in St. Louis - Applying RD to Class of 2024

Just a thread for RD applicants for Class of 2024. Haven’t seen one of these yet. Wishing everyone the best!

I’m applying too!

Hi! It’s nice to meet you all, and I wish you all the best of luck!

Have a nice day.

DD20 applied RD and had alumni interview last month. Best of luck to all!

Best of luck to all. #my dream school

DD applied RD and scheduled alumni interview next Saturday. Hope it goes well.

what’s the predicted acceptance rate for rd this year?

^assuming that the overall acceptance rate for WashU will be ~14-15%, RD rates will be low. ED acceptance rates are around 30% give or take. And a lot of the RD students are likely rejects from HYPS SCEA/ED.

@spelledwithak

The common data set for last year is not available and due to changes in admissions process at WashU since last year it is harder to extrapolate from previous years data. Below is my estimate based on the facts that are known. My guesstimates are labeled or worded such that you know this is a guesstimate/assumption. Once the common data set is published for last year then this can be updated.

Last year the overall admit rate was 14% and the total applications received 25,400+ (this data is from WashU). For ED1 and for ED2 (new), the acceptance rate was higher than 14% (maybe as high as 30% - guesstimate). And for RD it was lower than 14% (maybe as low as 11% guesstimate).

Last year was the first year that WashU added the essay requirement to the application and it was also the first time they added ED2. I have not seen details of how that affected the overall admissions trend except that the total number of applications decreased (expected due to the new Essay requirement) but the overall acceptance rate also decreased. Yes, even though fewer people applied to WashU last year (only 25,400+), the university became even more selective - only 14% were admitted. This implies that yield increased and that is likely if there there were more ED1+ED2 spots since ED are essentially 100% yield (ED1 and ED2 admits are essentially pre-committed). With more total ED admits, this leaves less spots for RD (RD admits do not always attend since they may have other options/considerations, the RD yield is probably ~31%).

<> This year it could look as follows: 950 - 1,000 ED (ED1+ED2) admits with about 3,200 applying and an ED acceptance rate of 975/3,200 = 30.5% (guesstimated). With an effective yield of 100%.
<> This would leave about 750-800 RD spots in the class. Assuming the yield for RD is about 31% then that implies there would be about 2,500 RD admits (some admits pursue other options). If 22,600 apply RD this would give an RD acceptance rate of 2,500/22,600 = 11.1%. (guesstimate)

<> The overall blended acceptance rate would be 3,450 admits/25,800 applications = 13.5% overall admit rate (guesstimate).

Good luck to everyone that is applying!

Does anyone know the past decision dates for RD applicants?

I just researched this yesterday. According to last year’s results thread, decisions were released at 5:30 pm ET on March 14.

@luc2020 Their website says by March 20th but I don’t know if they ever put it out earlier. https://admissions.wustl.edu/how-to-apply/application-deadlines/
@momzilla2D Do you know if they released earlier than the date they had on their website last year?

Yes, in the past WashU has released results a little earlier than their published dates. Many schools do the same.

Does WashU send likely letters?

Maybe to athletes?

Although policies and practices can change often, AFAIK WashU has historically sent likely letters to some athletes and non-athletes in ED and RD rounds. I have no idea how many they send out each cycle/round.

Does being offered an alumni interview mean they are strongly considering you for admission?

I wish that were true, but they are offered to as many people as they can accommodate. You do not need an interview to be accepted, however, if one is offered to you, I highly suggest you accept. It is a great opportunity to show interest and ask questions. Best of luck to you!

@luc2020
No, I know a kid who did alumni interview and got deferred ED. She has amazing scores and GPA. Being offered an alumni interview means there is available alum in your area. There are parts of the country no alum is available. I would take that opportunity to add more to your app! Good luck!

I think WashU decisions will be coming out on March 12th (Thursday) this year.