Reed College: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Portland, Oregon · Private nonprofit · Open access · CDS 2024-2025
Reed College is a private institution located in Portland, Oregon. For the most recent reporting cycle, Reed College admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 95%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1277 and an ACT composite around 29. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $36,371 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Reed College is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Reed College?
Reed College has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Reed College weight in admissions?
Reed College reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2024-2025). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Academic GPA
- • Class rank
- • Application essay
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Standardized test scores
- • Recommendations
- • Interview
- • Character/personal qualities
- • First generation status
- • Geographical residence
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
- • Level of applicant's interest
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • State residency
SAT and ACT scores Reed College typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 570–663, with an EBRW midpoint near 643. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 25–30. Many applicants here submit scores; even slightly below the average can be competitive when combined with a strong GPA and curriculum.
| 25th percentile | 1168 |
| 50th percentile | 1300 |
| 75th percentile | 1370 |
| % submitting SAT | 6% |
| 25th percentile | 25 |
| 50th percentile | 26 |
| 75th percentile | 31 |
| % submitting ACT | 3% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
How much does Reed College actually cost?
Published tuition is $54,900 for in-state students and $54,900 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $16,600 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $36,371 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 19% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | $58,800 |
| Room and board | $18,000 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $36,371 |
| Application fee | $0 |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Reed College
| Regular deadline | 2025-01-15 |
| Notification date | 2025-10-01 |
| Reply deadline | 2025-05-01 |
| Offers Early Action | Yes |
| EA deadline | 2024-12-01 |
Will my child graduate from Reed College?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Other colleges in Oregon parents ask about
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Reed College
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Reed College recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Reed College
What GPA do I need for Reed College?
Reed College has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission.
What SAT or ACT score does Reed College typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 570–663, with an EBRW midpoint near 643. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 25–30.
How much does Reed College actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Reed College after grants and scholarships is $36,371 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Reed College realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Reed College is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Reed College, and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.