Bachelor of Arts [B.A] [Biology - Genomics and Computational Biology] From Washington University

Washington University Bachelor of Arts in Biology, Genomics and Computational Biology is a four-year, full-time, in-person degree at the Danforth Campus in St. Louis. Applicants need 12 years of schooling, while Fall 2027 tuition is unpublished; 2026-27 tuition was US$71,310 (INR 67.87 Lakhs), as a prior-cycle reference.

The specialization trains students to connect molecular biology with statistics, programming and genomic analysis through a 64-unit major. It best suits applicants prepared for chemistry, physics and calculus who want laboratory experience alongside computational methods.

• Students complete computer science courses in programming and data structures alongside the biology specialization.
• Up to six advanced biology units may come from independent research, supporting preparation for research degrees.
• The approved laboratory choices include practical bioinformatics, genomics research and structural bioinformatics.

Also Check: Washington University admission requirements

WashU BA Biology Fees and Living Costs 2027

Fall 2027 tuition remains unpublished after the current cost surfaces were checked. The table therefore uses the 2026-27 published amount only as prior-cycle planning context, not as a Fall 2027 charge.

Source: Washington University published cost information for 2026-27.

All INR conversions in the article use a conversion rate of USD 1 = INR 95.18 as of 15 June 2026. Rates fluctuate daily, verify before applying.

The prior-cycle tuition excludes the separate living estimates below, so an applicant should not treat US$71,310 (INR 67.87 Lakhs) as the complete annual budget. Verify the target fee on the official fee page before accepting an offer.

Cost of Living in St. Louis for Biology Students

Washington University published annual housing, food and other estimated expenses for 2026-27. Monthly values below are calculated by dividing each official annual estimate by 12.

Combining prior-cycle tuition with the official living estimate gives a 2026-27 planning illustration of US$100,848 (INR 95.99 Lakhs). This arithmetic excludes any unpublished Fall 2027 change, travel and personal costs outside the university estimate.

Read More: cost of living in the USA

ROI reality: The known prior-cycle tuition and living estimate already approach INR 1 Crore for one year, so funding certainty should precede enrollment.

WashU BA Biology Admission 2027

Fall 2027 applicants need a secondary school diploma after at least 12 years of primary and secondary education. WashU publishes no minimum Indian percentage or grade-point average, so the university makes the equivalency and selection decision.

Academic Eligibility for Indian Applicants

The admission review is university-wide because students apply to Arts & Sciences and declare the specialization later. Preparation in chemistry, physics, mathematics and laboratory science matters because all four fields appear in the degree requirements.

The application also requires school records, a counselor recommendation, one teacher evaluation and a 250-word academic-interest response. For this specialization, the response should connect prior biology or computing work with the programme’s combined scientific and quantitative structure.

English Language Proficiency

Applicants whose first language is not English must submit an approved test unless WashU grants an exemption. The university describes these figures as competitive recommended scores, not published admission guarantees.

• Fall 2027 applicants must take an accepted test by December 2026, or by October for the November early rounds.
• SAT and ACT scores no longer replace English proficiency testing for Fall 2027 admission.
• Indian English-medium applicants should request an exemption decision before relying on the school-language route.

Tip for Indian students: Strong biology alone is insufficient preparation because the specialization requires statistics, programming, algorithms and an approved laboratory.

WashU BA Biology Application 2027

WashU offers four Fall 2027 decision plans, with applications available since 1 August 2026. Early Action is non-binding, while both Early Decision plans require enrollment if admitted.

All dates below apply to Fall 2027. WashU publishes calendar dates without a portal cutoff time, so Indian applicants should submit before the stated date rather than infer an IST deadline.

Early Action preserves the ability to compare admission and funding offers, which is important while Fall 2027 tuition is unpublished. Early Decision is financially restrictive because the commitment precedes comparison with Regular Decision offers.

• Ask the school counselor to send official materials by 9 November 2026 for either November application plan.
• Complete the scholarship application by 16 December 2026 even when using a January admission plan.
• Use the 250-word response to connect a research question with genomics, statistics and computing preparation.

Check Out: Washington University student information

Application tip: Early Action protects funding flexibility while returning a decision by 23 December 2026, before the Regular Decision deadline.

WashU BA Biology Scholarships 2027

Fall 2027 applicants can consider the Danforth Scholars Program and Annika Rodriguez Scholars Program. The cached official evidence confirms the award names, but not a target-cycle monetary value that can support a net-cost calculation.

The university sets 16 December 2026 as the priority scholarship application deadline for every Fall 2027 admission plan. Scholarship applications are separate from admission, so submitting a January admission application does not extend this funding cutoff.

• Submit the programme-specific scholarship materials by 16 December 2026 instead of waiting for an admission decision.
• Keep the gross budget because no verified Fall 2027 award amount can be deducted from tuition.
• Explain how genomics or computational biology interests connect with the named scholarship’s selection purpose.

International applicants seeking need-based aid must request it during the admission process. WashU states that an international applicant who declines funding consideration cannot seek university need-based aid after admission or during the four undergraduate years.

Scholarship reality: The 16 December 2026 priority date arrives before January admission deadlines, so funding preparation must run alongside the main application.

WashU BA Biology Salary 2027

WashU publishes no course-specific salary or employment rate for this genomics specialization. Applicants should therefore evaluate its research, medical-school and technical preparation without treating a market salary as a graduate outcome.

The closest official programme evidence is department-level: 72% of biology majors who applied to medical school were accepted across the reported six-year window. This measures applicants to medical school, not all graduates and not this specialization alone.

Source: Washington University Department of Biology undergraduate programme and current Bulletin.

The academic return is strongest for students who will use practical bioinformatics, research and computing courses toward laboratory, biotechnology or graduate-study preparation. The main tradeoff is a 2026-27 planning cost of US$100,848 (INR 95.99 Lakhs) before any Fall 2027 change, without course-level earnings evidence.

• Research-focused students should map the six allowable independent-research units to a laboratory and intended graduate field.
• Medical-school applicants should treat the 72% figure as department context, then budget separately for further study.
• Employment-focused students should request specialization-level destination data before using salary assumptions in a loan plan.
• Any United States offer should be compared after federal and state taxes using the relevant official tax calculator.

Honest take: The curriculum provides credible research preparation, but unpublished specialization outcomes make debt-funded enrollment a high-evidence-risk decision.

USA Visa for WashU BA Biology Students 2027

Admitted students normally use the F-1 student visa, while Optional Practical Training allows 12 months of post-study work. A qualifying science classification may permit a further 24-month STEM extension, but the designated programme code controls eligibility.

• The cached F-1 visa fee is US$185 (INR 17,608), while the SEVIS I-901 fee is US$350 (INR 33,313).
• H-1B sponsorship is lottery-based and the cached eligibility threshold is US$60,000 (INR 57.11 Lakhs), so OPT does not guarantee longer employment.
• Employment-based permanent residence may use EB-2 or EB-3, but no fixed settlement timeline is published in the cached evidence.
• An F-2 spouse may accompany the student, although the student’s financial proof must account for dependent costs.

Read More: US student visa requirements

Visa reality: The initial work window is 12 months unless the degree code qualifies for the STEM extension, so verify the I-20 classification before planning three years.

WashU BA Biology Ranking 2027

Times Higher Education placed Washington University at joint 40th globally for Life Sciences in 2026. This subject scope includes biological sciences, so it is relevant context rather than a ranking of the exact specialization.

The ranking edition is 2026. It assesses institutional life-sciences activity and cannot establish admission likelihood, teaching fit or graduate salary for Genomics and Computational Biology.

The subject position can help identify a substantial research environment, while the stronger fit evidence comes from the curriculum’s bioinformatics laboratory and independent-research options. Applicants should prioritize those concrete course features over the institutional rank.

Honest take: The Life Sciences rank supports the research setting, but the 64-unit curriculum is the better test of personal fit.