In accordance with the WashU Libraries technology policy; Washington University in St. Louis's information security policy, computer use policies, and all other relevant technology and security policies; and the Esri Site License Agreement, Data Services can only provide licenses to Esri software for current students, faculty, staff, and other authorized affiliates of the Washington University community through authorized WUSTL Key accounts.
You must be a current student, faculty, or staff member of Washington University and have valid WUSTL Key credentials in order to access the install files and license most applications.
Selected GIS and other data-related applications are available in the Research Studio on Level A of Olin Library. See the Research Studio guide for more information.
Current WashU students, faculty and staff may obtain a fully functional copy of the ArcGIS Pro software. This application enables map creation, spatial data creation and management, and spatial analysis.
Check the ArcGIS Pro system requirements page to see if your computer meets the minimum system requirements to run the application.
NOTE - For newer versions of ArcGIS Pro, you may be prompted to install Microsoft .NET Desktop Runtime. Visit the Microsoft .NET Desktop Runtime page to locate and download the version specified in the prompt.
Users with active WUSTL Key credentials can follow the steps below to download and install the software:
1. Access the Data Services Software Request form to enter your personal information. Upon completion, the form will provide a link to our software distribution folder on Box; you will need to login using your WUSTL Key to gain access to the software distribution folder.
2. In the software distribution folder, navigate to the ArcGIS Pro folder and save the ".exe" file to your local system.
3. On your local system, browse to the downloaded file(s) and click on the '.exe' file.
4. Use the default settings for the next few screens.
5. The Setup Program should launch automatically. Close any running programs and click through, accepting the license agreement.
6. Install for all users and select the installation directory. Click Finish once the installation is complete.
7. ArcGIS Pro is licensed using a 'Named User' model and you will need to join the WashU ArcGIS Online Organization to become a named user.
8. Click on Washington University and enter your WUSTL Key credentials
9. Now you will see your login name in the upper right corner and you may begin using the software.
Contact Olin Data Services if you have any problems.
Some common errors encountered during installation include:
You must install the Microsoft .NET Desktop Runtime. See this Esri Technical Support post for more information.
GIS software can be installed at no cost in WashU computing labs and on any other university computers.
The ArcGIS Pro installation steps are identical between WashU networked computers and personal computers. Please see instructions above.
WashU users license ArcGIS Pro through a Named User license type, which requires an internet connection for login. If you need to take your ArcGIS Pro license offline, follow the instructions in the Authorize ArcGIS Pro to work offline section of this ArcGIS Help page. Note that once your machine has been authorized for offline use, you may not use your account to login to ArcGIS Pro on another machine until the offline license has been returned.
ArcGIS software is not released in a version compatible with non-Windows operating systems. However, some users successfully run ArcGIS on their Macs using a virtual machine environment such as the open source application Virtual Box, or commercial VM systems such as Parallels, or VMware. In all of these cases, the user will need to obtain a copy of Windows to install on their Mac. These pages include more details on this issue:
The company behind ArcGIS products, Esri, will be retiring ArcMap in 2026 as part of the ArcMap Life Cycle. To this end, Esri stopped delivering licenses to its educational customers as of July 1, 2024. ArcMap users should switch to ArcGIS Pro. Please see the ArcGIS Installation Guide above for step-by-step instructions for WashU users.
