Washington University in St. Louis is a prestigious private research university founded in 1853, consistently ranked among the top 15 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. Located in the heart of St. Louis, Missouri, WashU enrolls approximately 16,000 students across its undergraduate and graduate programs, with about 8,200 undergraduates. The university is known for its strengths in medicine, engineering, business, law, social work, and the arts and sciences. The Danforth Campus is the architectural centerpiece of the university, featuring Collegiate Gothic buildings set on 169 …