Willamette University: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Portland, Oregon · Private nonprofit · Selective · CDS 2024-2025
Willamette University is a private nonprofit university in Portland, Oregon that admits about 27% of applicants, making it a selective school. The average family pays about $39,951 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Political Science and Government, Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services and Research and Experimental Psychology, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 72% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 31.8 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Willamette University is a private institution located in Portland, Oregon with a selective admissions profile. For the most recent reporting cycle, Willamette University admits between a quarter and half of applicants, with an overall admission rate of 27%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT around 1420. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $39,951 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Willamette University 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 Willamette University?
Admitted students at Willamette University typically present unweighted GPAs in the 3.6–3.9 range with several honors or AP courses. 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 Willamette University weight in admissions?
Willamette University 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
- • Application essay
- • Class rank
- • Recommendations
- • Interview
- • Character/personal qualities
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Geographical residence
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Level of applicant's interest
- • Standardized test scores
- • State residency
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
SAT and ACT scores Willamette University typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 630–750, with an EBRW midpoint near —. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 29–34. A score at or above this school's 75th percentile materially improves your child's odds, particularly when paired with a rigorous course load.
| 25th percentile | 1310 |
| 50th percentile | 1410 |
| 75th percentile | 1490 |
| % submitting SAT | 52% |
| 25th percentile | 30 |
| 50th percentile | 33 |
| 75th percentile | 34 |
| % submitting ACT | 21% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
How much does Willamette University actually cost?
Published tuition is $67,020 for in-state students and $67,020 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $16,820 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $39,951 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 12% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | — |
| Room and board | — |
| Average net price (after aid) | $39,951 |
| Application fee | $0 |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Willamette University
| Notification date | 15-Feb |
| Reply deadline | May 1 |
| Offers Early Decision | Yes |
| ED deadline | 15-Nov |
| ED acceptance rate | 15% |
| Offers Early Action | Yes |
| EA deadline | 15-Nov |
Will my child graduate from Willamette University?
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.
Most popular majors at Willamette University
The most popular undergraduate programs at Willamette University, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Political Science and Government, Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services and Research and Experimental Psychology. Across all programs, Willamette University confers roughly 148 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its English Language and Literature, General program report a median income of about $30,743 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Political Science and Government | 26 | — |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 21 | — |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 20 | — |
| English Language and Literature, General | 18 | $30,743 |
| Mathematics | 18 | — |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 17 | — |
| Sociology | 15 | — |
| Anthropology | 13 | — |
Is Willamette University safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Willamette University disclosed 42 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 31.8 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 1 violent offenses and 9 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
What is campus life like at Willamette University?
About 68% of undergraduates at Willamette University live in campus housing, making it a largely residential campus. In Greek life, 0% of men join a fraternity and 0% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in Oregon parents ask about
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Willamette University
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Willamette University 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 Willamette University
What GPA do I need for Willamette University?
Admitted students at Willamette University typically present unweighted GPAs in the 3.6–3.9 range with several honors or AP courses.
What SAT or ACT score does Willamette University typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 630–750, with an EBRW midpoint near —. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 29–34.
How much does Willamette University actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Willamette University after grants and scholarships is $39,951 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 Willamette University 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, Willamette University is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Willamette University?
Willamette University accepts about 27% of applicants out of roughly 9,431 who apply each year. That makes it a selective school.
Is Willamette University test-optional?
Yes. Willamette University is test-optional, so SAT and ACT scores are not required, but strong scores can still be submitted and will be considered.
What is the graduation rate at Willamette University?
About 72% of students at Willamette University graduate within six years, and 57% finish in four years. 87% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
Does applying Early Decision improve my chances at Willamette University?
Willamette University's Early Decision acceptance rate is about 15%, compared with its overall rate of 27%. The ED rate is not materially higher here, so weigh the binding commitment carefully.
What does Willamette University look for in applicants?
Willamette University rates course rigor, GPA and the application essay as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is Willamette University a public or private school, and where is it located?
Willamette University is a private nonprofit institution located in Portland, Oregon.
What are the most popular majors at Willamette University?
The largest undergraduate majors at Willamette University by annual graduates are Political Science and Government, Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services and Research and Experimental Psychology. The school awards about 148 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Willamette University safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Willamette University reported 42 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 31.8 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at Willamette University?
At Willamette University, 68% of undergraduates live on campus, 0% of men are in fraternities, 0% of women are in sororities, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Willamette University, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.