Saint Louis University: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Saint Louis, Missouri · Private nonprofit · Highly selective · CDS 2024-2025
Saint Louis University is a private nonprofit university in Saint Louis, Missouri that admits about 12% of applicants, making it a highly selective school. The average family pays about $22,117 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Computer Science, Research and Experimental Psychology and Finance and Financial Management Services, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 94% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 8.9 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Saint Louis University is a private institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri and one of the highly selective schools in the country. For the most recent reporting cycle, Saint Louis University admits roughly one in four applicants, with an overall admission rate of 12%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1530 and an ACT composite around 34. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $22,117 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Saint Louis University is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Saint Louis University?
Most admitted students at Saint Louis University present unweighted GPAs in the 3.85–4.0 range with five or more AP or honors courses across high school. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Saint Louis University weight in admissions?
Saint Louis University reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2024-2025). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Class rank
- • Academic GPA
- • Standardized test scores
- • Application essay
- • Recommendations
- • Talent/ability
- • Character/personal qualities
- • Extracurricular activities
- • First generation status
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Geographical residence
- • Level of applicant's interest
- • State residency
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
SAT and ACT scores Saint Louis University typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 770–800, with an EBRW midpoint near 750. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 33–35. Scores below the 25th-percentile mark are accepted occasionally, but the realistic submission target for most families is the school's middle-50 floor or higher.
| 25th percentile | 1500 |
| 50th percentile | 1540 |
| 75th percentile | 1570 |
| % submitting SAT | 29% |
| 25th percentile | 33 |
| 50th percentile | 34 |
| 75th percentile | 35 |
| % submitting ACT | 28% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
Where admitted students ranked in their high school class
Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort — often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.
| Top 10% of class | 86% |
| Top 25% of class | 98% |
| Top 50% of class | 100% |
| % submitting class rank | 28% |
How much does Saint Louis University actually cost?
Published tuition is $62,982 for in-state students and $62,982 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $20,778 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $22,117 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 16% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | $68,240 |
| Room and board | $23,338 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $22,117 |
| Application fee | $75 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Saint Louis University
| Regular deadline | January 2 |
| Notification date | April 1 |
| Reply deadline | May 1 |
| Offers Early Decision | Yes |
| ED deadline | November 3 |
| ED acceptance rate | 25% |
Will my child graduate from Saint Louis University?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at Saint Louis University
The most popular undergraduate programs at Saint Louis University, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Computer Science, Research and Experimental Psychology and Finance and Financial Management Services. Across all programs, Saint Louis University confers roughly 1,029 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Finance and Financial Management Services program report a median income of about $190,811 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | 205 | — |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 189 | — |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 181 | $190,811 |
| Economics | 105 | $79,278 |
| Anthropology | 91 | — |
| Mechanical Engineering | 89 | $101,263 |
| Biology, General | 87 | $76,908 |
| Political Science and Government | 82 | — |
Is Saint Louis University safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Saint Louis University disclosed 70 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 8.9 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 12 violent offenses and 8 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
What is campus life like at Saint Louis University?
About 69% of undergraduates at Saint Louis University live in campus housing, making it a largely residential campus. In Greek life, 16% of men join a fraternity and 23% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in Missouri parents ask about
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Saint Louis University
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Saint Louis University recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Saint Louis University
What GPA do I need for Saint Louis University?
Most admitted students at Saint Louis University present unweighted GPAs in the 3.85–4.0 range with five or more AP or honors courses across high school.
What SAT or ACT score does Saint Louis University typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 770–800, with an EBRW midpoint near 750. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 33–35.
How much does Saint Louis University actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Saint Louis University after grants and scholarships is $22,117 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Saint Louis University realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Saint Louis University is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Saint Louis University?
Saint Louis University accepts about 12% of applicants out of roughly 32,754 who apply each year. That makes it a highly selective school.
Is Saint Louis University test-optional?
Yes. Saint Louis University is test-optional, so SAT and ACT scores are not required, but strong scores can still be submitted and will be considered.
What is the graduation rate at Saint Louis University?
About 94% of students at Saint Louis University graduate within six years. 95% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
Does applying Early Decision improve my chances at Saint Louis University?
Saint Louis University's Early Decision acceptance rate is about 25%, compared with its overall rate of 12%. Applying ED can meaningfully improve admission odds, but it is a binding commitment to enroll if accepted.
What does Saint Louis University look for in applicants?
Saint Louis University rates course rigor, class rank, GPA and test scores as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is Saint Louis University a public or private school, and where is it located?
Saint Louis University is a private nonprofit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri.
What are the most popular majors at Saint Louis University?
The largest undergraduate majors at Saint Louis University by annual graduates are Computer Science, Research and Experimental Psychology and Finance and Financial Management Services. The school awards about 1,029 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Saint Louis University safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Saint Louis University reported 70 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 8.9 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at Saint Louis University?
At Saint Louis University, 69% of undergraduates live on campus, 16% of men are in fraternities, 23% of women are in sororities, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Saint Louis University, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.