Welcome, New Students!

We're here to help you get started.

Take Your First Steps

Welcome to Washington University in St. Louis and the College of Arts & Sciences! We are so excited to have you here. The College believes that a full life is an intellectual, moral, and creative endeavor of meaning and purpose, and we are here to help you begin that journey.

So how do you begin? This page includes some important choices to consider as you plan for your first year and your career at WashU. 

First-Year Programs and Seminars

In Arts & Sciences, some of our renowned faculty have created innovative First-Year Programs that can last for one semester or five with the chance to participate in fieldwork, independent research, or international travel.

Registration

How do you sign up for classes for the fall? What classes will be offered this fall? Information about fall course registration, including our Registration 101 Guide, will be available May 2025 to help you find all the answers you're looking for!

First-Year Programs

Make the most of your first year.

At WashU, some of our most renowned faculty have created innovative First-Year Programs—interdisciplinary courses that allow you to work closely with a professor and a small group of your peers. These classes delve into some of the most vexing questions of our day and offer the chance to participate in fieldwork, independent research, or international travel. Explore a topic you're already excited about or try something totally new.  First-Year Programs can last for a semester or five, and they cover almost every subject you can imagine. These courses are also very popular, and some fill up very quickly. See what offerings speak to you.

Learn More About First-Year Programs

Activate your WUSTL Key

An email will be sent to you from registrarwustlkey@email.wustl.edu with instructions on how to activate your WUSTL Key. You MUST have activated your WUSTL Key AND your @wustl.edu email to get started at WashU. If you have not received this email please contact the University Registrar’s office at registrarwustlkey@email.wustl.edu or 314-935-5959.

Activate Today

So how do you sign up for classes? What requirements do you need to take? What placement exams do you need to take? 

Find answers to these question and more, including information about fall course registration, which will be available May 2025.

Resources for Your Journey

We want to help you get started so here are some helpful resources.

Welcome to the College!

Welcome to the College!

meet the people and learn about programs supporting the ArtSci experience

Residential Life

Residential Life

join the WashU community of residential life

Academic Advising for Undergraduate Students

Academic Advising for Undergraduate Students

discover, create, and reflect on your path with advisors

Garth Hallberg

I remember meeting with Naomi Lebowitz and Michael Sherberg. We talked about poetry, and I can recall Naomi waving her arms as we discussed Whitman. It was the high point of my intellectual life to that point . . . That feeling continued once I got here. I was suddenly surrounded by brilliant professors and smart, hardworking students who liked talking about big ideas. And because we weren’t on the East or West Coast, no one was too-cool-for-school or keeping score. Everyone just wanted to participate.

―Garth Risk Hallberg, LA'01Writer