Make Way: Our Student Initiative
At Washington University School of Medicine, we’re preparing the next generation of leaders in human health. Our students are among the best in the nation, and they choose WashU because our mission and strengths match their desire to improve lives across the globe.
The world needs the distinctive skills and talents of WashU-trained physicians more than ever, but medical school is an expensive path, and the competition for top applicants is fierce. To ensure students’ success and maintain our place among the nation’s top medical schools, we must raise scholarship support to new levels.
Through Make Way: Our Student Initiative, the School of Medicine is taking a bold step forward. Together, we will build critical resources for new scholarships for medical students. Learn about how the initiative will build essential opportunities for students.
In order to remain affordable for our students and to continue to compete with the nation’s strongest medical schools, the School of Medicine has placed even greater emphasis on philanthropic support of scholarships. For more than eight decades, alumni and friends have carried on a tradition of scholarship support. The cost of a medical education results in an unfair debt load for our students, and we are compelled to alleviate this burden. Scholarships are the key to allowing future generations of students to pursue a career path based on passion, not on potential income.
David H. Perlmutter, MD
George and Carol Bauer Dean, School of Medicine
Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor
Executive Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs
Washington University in St. Louis
Between 2018 and 2022, the number of MD students who received scholarships increased by 20%.
In 2021–2022, Annual Fund donors raised $1.1M in support of annual scholarships.
29 MD classes have created endowed class scholarships.