BaccalaureatePrivate nonprofit

Willamette University

Salem, Oregon·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Far West·willamette.edu
6-yr Graduation
71%
Total enrollment
2,180
peer median 1,873
Avg net price
$23,663
-$14k vs Baccalaureate
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
3,832
3,832 candidates competed
Admitted
2,954
77.1% acceptance rate
Enrolled
421
14.3% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
71%
4-year graduation
62%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
71%
Full-time retention
87%

Pell equity

3.0pp gap
Pell recipients
69%
Non-Pell
72%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 3.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 52 Title IV programs, 13 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 38 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
52
Passing
13
25.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
1.9% of portfolio
Fail rate
1.9%
+1.3pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

52programs
  • Passing13 · 25.0%
  • No Data38 · 73.1%
  • Failing1 · 1.9%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
1
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
13
No data
38

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

14
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-7.3%
$32,256 vs $34,808
Design and Applied Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+28.9%
$44,870 vs $34,808
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+29.8%
$45,197 vs $34,808
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+43.8%
$50,060 vs $34,808
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
Bachelor Degree · Natural Resources And Conservation
+57.0%
$54,657 vs $34,808
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+68.9%
$101,544 vs $60,112
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+70.5%
$59,337 vs $34,808
Economics
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+81.7%
$63,255 vs $34,808

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

13
Law
First Professional Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
151%
$152,092 debt · $100,524 earn
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
81%
$26,000 debt · $32,256 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
77%
$78,180 debt · $101,544 earn
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
52%
$23,331 debt · $45,197 earn
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
Bachelor Degree · Natural Resources And Conservation
42%
$23,000 debt · $54,657 earn
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
40%
$19,875 debt · $50,060 earn
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
39%
$23,222 debt · $59,337 earn
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
38%
$27,000 debt · $70,412 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Accredited since 1924Next review Oct 2026

Programmatic accreditations · 4

Action history · 7

  1. Apr 2025Program Name Change
    Commission on English Language Program Accreditation · English Language
  2. Feb 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar · Law (LAW) - Professional schools
  3. Apr 2020Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on English Language Program Accreditation · English Language
  4. Oct 2019Renewal of Accreditation
    Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
  5. Oct 2018Renewal of Accreditation
    American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar · Law (LAW) - Professional schools

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$14,603
$30–48k$14,977
$48–75k$16,425
$75–110k$24,618
$110k+$31,101

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$23,663
-$13,839vs Baccalaureate median $37,502
Federal loans
41.1%
In-state tuition
$48,268
Out-of-state
$48,268

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 668 students received $3.9M in Pell grants, alongside $25.0M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
668
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$3.9M
$3,861,393 total
Direct Loans
$25.0M
2,169 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
1k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$2.5M
604 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$2.8M
726 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$6.9M
353 loan awards
Parent PLUS$3.8M
179 loan awards
Grad PLUS$9.0M
307 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 518 borrowers who entered repayment, 3 (0.5%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.5%
-1.8pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
518
Defaulted
3
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
1.8%
2017
1.2%
2018
0.8%
2019
0.5%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Willamette

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs49
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

454 total completions
01Legal Professions
11124.4%
02Business
8318.3%
03Social Sciences
7717.0%
04Multi/Interdisciplinary
6815.0%
05Visual/Performing Arts
214.6%
06Psychology
204.4%
07Physical Sciences
204.4%
08Natural Resources
194.2%
09Computer Sciences
184.0%
10Parks/Recreation
173.7%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
2,180
12-mo unduplicated
2,245
Undergraduate
1,635
Graduate
610

Gender split

Men
42%935
Women
58%1,310

Race / ethnicity composition

White
66.2%
Hispanic
14.2%
Two or more
8.6%
Asian
3.9%
Black
2.4%
Unknown
2.2%
Non-resident
1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.5%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
395
233 M · 162 W
Women athletes
41.0%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$4.0M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$32K
$19K
Head-coach salaries
$43K
$44K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 13

Football
78 M ·
$664K
Track and Field (Outdoor)
34 M · 26 W
$317K
Soccer
31 M · 26 W
$324K
Baseball
40 M ·
$294K
Swimming
12 M · 23 W
$219K
Basketball
18 M · 15 W
$425K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
16.24
31 offenses · 1,909 students

3-year trend

16.612 yrs ago9.521 yr ago16.24Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
79
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
10
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
8
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Fondling
11
Burglary
9
Rape
6
Motor vehicle theft
4
Arson
1

By location

31total
  • On campus30
  • Non-campus1

Includes 19 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
1
Dating violence
1
Stalking
2 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Race2
  • Religion2
  • Sexual orientation2

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs026
Liquor022

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
13.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
172

Willamette vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Willamette selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectWillamette University
71%2,180$23,663Baccalaureate
Linfield University
70%85.2%1,709$27,341Baccalaureate
Reed College
71%24.6%1,358$39,951Baccalaureate
Lewis & Clark College
75%78.5%3,504$36,084Baccalaureate
University of Puget Sound
68%72.2%1,864$38,920Baccalaureate
Occidental College
81%44.2%1,881$39,329Baccalaureate
Peer group median71%72.2%1,873$37,502

Frequently asked questions about Willamette University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Willamette.

What is the graduation rate at Willamette University?

Willamette University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 71% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Willamette University?

Willamette University reports a total enrollment of 2,180 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Willamette University?

The average net price at Willamette University is $23,663 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Willamette University?

Willamette University's yield rate is 14.3%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Willamette University located?

Willamette University is located in Salem, Oregon 97301.

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