Framework for Change

We are working hard to build a framework for progress and a structure of support for diversity and inclusion.

We know that WashU can be a better place, with a deeper range of perspectives and community members. It is this diversity that makes great institutions like ours truly great. Through inclusive policies and a range of resources, we are laying the foundation for a community that embraces and supports diversity in a welcoming climate.

Employee Development

The Office of Human Resources aims to recruit and retain a more diverse workforce, and to ensure the people who study, work and teach here feel welcomed, respected and nurtured.

Center for Diversity and Inclusion

The CDI is the student-facing piece of our strategic institutional priority to infuse considerations of diversity and inclusion throughout every part of of the university.

Undergraduate Campus Life and Leadership

Campus Life encourages leadership that cultivates an inclusive campus community. The Redefining Community Experience focuses on identity, community and social justice, and Destination Q gives LGBTQ students time to explore identity and leadership.

OFFICE OF FACULTY ADVANCEMENT AND INSTITUTIONAL DIVERSITY

Our office focuses on faculty development and diversity, and partners with diversity initiatives that affect both the university community and the community at large.

MEDICAL SCHOOL DIVERSITY PROGRAMS

School of Medicine diversity programs recruit a culturally diverse workforce while preparing medical students to become leaders in a vibrant, global society.

ADVISORY GROUPS

Advisory groups, each focused on a specific topic, provide best practices and recommendations for action to advance diversity and inclusion at the university.

Office of Student Success

The newly formed Office of Student Success is committed to a diverse and equitable WashU experience by supporting students from all backgrounds.

Universities create knowledge and ideas, and better ideas and decisions come from groups of people with different backgrounds and experiences.

Holden Thorp

Bias Report and Support System

The Bias Report and Support System, BRSS, is a cornerstone of our support system for students. If you have experienced or witnessed an incident of hate, bias and/or discrimination against a student, we encourage you to submit a report.

Submit a report View BRSS reports

Charting Progress

Where we are today is a foundation from which we are striving toward a more diverse and inclusive community in the future. We are driven to do better and be better. Our initiatives, training and academic efforts are moving us forward.

Sex

We do not collect personal information about gender identity or sexual orientation from our students, faculty or staff.

Race/Ethnicity

Race and ethnicity are self reported.

2012-13

Sex Chart Information

	Undergraduate Students	Danforth Campus – Graduate/Professional Students	Medical Campus – Graduate/Professional Students	Danforth Campus – Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty	Danforth Campus – Other Full-time non-track Faculty	Medical Campus – Full-time, all tracks Faculty	Staff
Male	49.9%	51.8%	30.3%	69.5%	54.2%	67.7%	29.5%
Female	50.1%	48.2%	69.7%	30.5%	45.8%	32.3%	70.5%

Ethnicity Chart Information

	Undergraduate Students	Danforth Campus – Graduate/Professional Students	Medical Campus – Graduate/Professional Students	Danforth Campus – Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty	Danforth Campus – Other Full-time non-track Faculty	Medical Campus – Full-time, all tracks Faculty	Staff
White	62.0%	48.9%	68.5%	81.4%	70.1%	75.9%	76.9%
Asian	20.2%	8.5%	16.2%	12.8%	23.8%	19.2%	7.0%
Black	6.1%	5.5%	5.0%	4.2%	3.2%	2.3%	14.6%
Hispanic	5.1%	3.1%	3.2%	2.7%	3.2%	2.7%	1.5%
Native Am./Pacific Isl.	0.6%	1.4%	0.9%	0.1%	0.7%	0.3%	0.5%
International (any ethnicity)	7.7%	31.3%	2.8%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%

2013-14

Sex Chart Information

	Undergraduate Students	Danforth Campus – Graduate/Professional Students	Medical Campus – Graduate/Professional Students	Danforth Campus – Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty	Danforth Campus – Other Full-time non-track Faculty	Medical Campus – Full-time, all tracks Faculty	Staff
Male	50.5%	52.0%	31.8%	68.1%	54.6%	66.6%	29.5%
Female	49.5%	48.0%	68.2%	31.9%	45.4%	33.4%	70.5%

Ethnicity Chart Information

	Undergraduate Students	Danforth Campus – Graduate/Professional Students	Medical Campus – Graduate/Professional Students	Danforth Campus – Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty	Danforth Campus – Other Full-time non-track Faculty	Medical Campus – Full-time, all tracks Faculty	Staff
White	62.1%	47.4%	65.5%	80.7%	68.5%	75.6%	77.2%
Asian	21.5%	8.3%	17.7%	12.7%	25.2%	19.6%	6.5%
Black	6.2%	5.2%	4.9%	4.8%	3.8%	2.2%	14.8%
Hispanic	5.7%	3.0%	3.4%	2.9%	3.1%	2.7%	1.6%
Native Am./Pacific Isl.	0.7%	1.3%	1.2%	0.1%	0.7%	0.3%	0.5%
International (any ethnicity)	8.1%	32.2%	3.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%

2014-15

Sex Chart Information

	Undergraduate Students	Danforth Campus – Graduate/Professional Students	Medical Campus – Graduate/Professional Students	Danforth Campus – Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty	Danforth Campus – Other Full-time non-track Faculty	Medical Campus – Full-time, all tracks Faculty	Staff
Male	49.4%	53.4%	33.7%	67.6%	51.9%	66.1%	28.9%
Female	50.6%	46.6%	66.3%	32.4%	48.1%	33.9%	71.1%

Ethnicity Chart Information

	Undergraduate Students	Danforth Campus – Graduate/Professional Students	Medical Campus – Graduate/Professional Students	Danforth Campus – Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty	Danforth Campus – Other Full-time non-track Faculty	Medical Campus – Full-time, all tracks Faculty	Staff
White	62.6%	45.2%	63.8%	80.6%	70.0%	75.0%	77.6%
Asian	22.3%	8.3%	19.1%	12.6%	24.2%	20.3%	6.4%
Black	5.9%	5.2%	4.8%	5.1%	2.9%	2.4%	14.8%
Hispanic	5.8%	3.7%	3.7%	3.0%	4.0%	2.4%	1.5%
Native Am./Pacific Isl.	0.7%	1.2%	1.0%	0.3%	0.4%	0.3%	0.5%
International (any ethnicity)	8.3%	34.5%	3.5%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%

2015-16

Sex Chart Information

	Undergraduate Students	Danforth Campus – Graduate/Professional Students	Medical Campus – Graduate/Professional Students	Danforth Campus – Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty	Danforth Campus – Other Full-time non-track Faculty	Medical Campus – Full-time, all tracks Faculty	Staff
Male	48.6%	53.6%	34.8%	68.0%	51.8%	65.1%	28.1%
Female	51.4%	46.4%	65.2%	32.0%	48.2%	34.9%	71.9%

Ethnicity Chart Information

	Undergraduate Students	Danforth Campus – Graduate/Professional Students	Medical Campus – Graduate/Professional Students	Danforth Campus – Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty	Danforth Campus – Other Full-time non-track Faculty	Medical Campus – Full-time, all tracks Faculty	Staff
White	62.5%	42.3%	65.0%	78.2%	68.8%	74.0%	77.4%
Asian	22.8%	7.2%	18.4%	14.1%	24.9%	20.9%	6.4%
Black	6.6%	5.5%	4.0%	5.6%	2.8%	2.6%	15.0%
Hispanic	6.6%	3.3%	4.4%	3.6%	4.7%	2.7%	1.7%
Native Am./Pacific Isl.	0.8%	1.5%	0.8%	0.3%	0.2%	0.4%	0.6%
International (any ethnicity)	8.3%	39.0%	4.3%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%

2016-17

Sex Chart Information

	Undergraduate Students	Danforth Campus – Graduate/Professional Students	Medical Campus – Graduate/Professional Students	Danforth Campus – Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty	Danforth Campus – Other Full-time non-track Faculty	Medical Campus – Full-time, all tracks Faculty	Staff
Male	47.7%	53.1%	35.1%	68.3%	53.5%	64.3%	27.5%
Female	52.3%	46.9%	64.9%	31.7%	46.5%	35.7%	72.5%

Ethnicity Chart Information

	Undergraduate Students	Danforth Campus – Graduate/Professional Students	Medical Campus – Graduate/Professional Students	Danforth Campus – Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty	Danforth Campus – Other Full-time non-track Faculty	Medical Campus – Full-time, all tracks Faculty	Staff
White	62.0%	41.2%	65.0%	77.5%	67.5%	74.4%	76.5%
Asian	22.2%	7.1%	19.0%	14.0%	25.7%	20.6%	6.8%
Black	8.2%	5.8%	3.9%	6.3%	4.3%	2.5%	15.8%
Hispanic	7.6%	3.9%	4.4%	3.4%	3.9%	2.8%	1.7%
Native Am./Pacific Isl.	1.0%	1.4%	0.9%	0.3%	0.4%	0.2%	0.7%
International (any ethnicity)	7.8%	39.4%	4.5%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%

Students include undergraduate, graduate and professional degree seeking students; but exclude students in evening or part-time programs. Danforth Campus faculty includes tenured and tenure-track, and other full-time non-track, Medical Campus faculty includes full-time faculty on investigator, clinical and research tracks. Staff includes full-time staff on each campus. Postdocs are not included in the staff counts. Faculty and staff data is compiled based on Washington University’s annual November 1 census. Student enrollment is based on Fall tenth-week data.

View additional institutional data on the Office of the Provost website.

Recent Progress

4.5

Out of 5 stars on the Campus Pride Index, measuring our institutional commitment to LGBTQIA* inclusion.

33%

Six-year increase in underrepresented minority faculty (all tracks) on the Medical Campus.

69%

Five-year increase in African-American tenured/tenure track faculty on Danforth Campus.

31%

Six-year increase in number of Danforth Campus women faculty with rank of full professor.

87 to 168

Five year increase in Hispanic American students in first year undergraduate class.

Socio-economic Diversity

“Improving the socio-economic diversity of our student body is not just important; it’s critical to our success as a university,” says Provost Holden Thorp. As part of our ongoing effort to attract and retain highly talented low-income students, we are working to increase our percentage of first-time, full-time students who are eligible for the Federal Pell Grant Program.

Year

Percentage of first-year undergraduates who are Pell eligible.

2011

6.5%

2012

5.2%

2013

6.0%

2014

7.6%

2015

11.5%

2016

12.7%

Percentage of first-year undergraduates who are Pell eligible.

Rudolph Clay

As the head of Diversity Initiative and Outreach Services for Olin Library, Clay builds an inviting space for the university and surrounding community, ensuring that library staff, services and resources promote diversity and inclusion.

Read the story

Faculty Hiring Support

We support hiring committees in finding diverse faculty members to join our community.

Danforth Campus Medical Campus

Policies and Resources

We strive to be a community with respect and inclusion at its core, providing access to opportunity from the widest range of talents and ideas, and fostering an environment that enables everyone to contribute. Together, we have created policies that protect our values of openness and dignity, and resources that provide information, community and support.

View our policies Find resources

Supplier Diversity

The Office of Supplier Diversity aims to create and sustain diverse businesses in the St. Louis community, and to increase diversity representation in the workplace.

Learn more about our supplier diversity initiative