The US News and World Report ranks Washington University in St. Louis 14th in its America’s Best Colleges 2011 rankings with 19 of the university’s graduate and professional programmes rated in the top 10 Established in 1853, Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) is nationally and internationally reputed for excellence in academics and research. The US News and World Report ranks it 14th in its America’s Best Colleges 2011 rankings with 19 of the university’s graduate and professional programmes rated in the Top 10. Internationally, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2011 ranks WUSTL among the Top 50 universities worldwide. The varsity’s seven academic schools — arts and science, George Warren Brown School of Social Work, John M. Olin School of Business, Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts, schools of engineering, law, and medicine — offer over 90 study programmes and 1,500 courses to 11,000 students instructed by 3,297 faculty. The university’s annual operating budget is $1.8 billion, and its $4.2 billion (Rs.23,219 crore) endowment places it in the ranks of America’s most well-endowed private varsities. The 159-year-old varsity is also a major recipient of federal, industrial, and foundation research support for medicine, science, engineering, and social science projects with more than $567 million (Rs.3,134 crore) provided annually by external research sponsors. Sprawled across four campuses over an aggregate area of 2,300 acres in the St. Louis region of Missouri state, Washington University in St. Louis has produced 22 Nobel laureates and hosted more US presidential and vice presidential debates than any other institution in history. St. Louis. Situated at the confluence of two of America’s great rivers — the Mississippi and Missouri — St. Louis (pop. 318,069) is the second largest city in the state. Founded in 1764, the city which was once a major river port has since transformed into a hub of business and research, especially in biotechnology and plant sciences. The St. Louis region hosts several Fortune 500 corporations including Monsanto, Graybar Electric and Express Scripts. Consistently ranked among the nation’s most affordable and best places to live and raise a family, it also offers opportunities to participate in a wide range of sports, recreational activities and cultural events. Not far from St. Louis’ urban core are the rolling hills of the Ozark range offering outdoor activities such as hiking, canoeing and spelunking in some of Missouri’s more than 6,000 caves. Spring is the wettest season and often triggers tornadoes and storms. Summers are hot and humid. Fall is mild with lower humidity and can produce intermittent bouts of heavy rainfall and winters can be cold and snowy with temperatures frequently plunging below freezing point. Campus facilities. WUSTL’s campuses are sited contiguous to the cultural hub of St. Louis, surrounded by and adjacent to museums, performance venues, vibrant entertainment and dining districts, one of the nation’s largest civic parks, and placid tree-lined neighbourhoods. The university’s main 169-acre Danforth campus, bordered by the Forest Park, hosts the great majority of the university’s undergraduate, graduate and professional students. Dominated by its distinctive…
