Private nonprofit · College

Lewis & Clark College

Portland, Oregon · Large city

#2 graduation rate in Oregon
78.5%
Admit rate
$36,013
Avg net price
75%
Graduation rate
$62,205
Median earnings

Lewis & Clark College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Portland, Oregon (large city setting), enrolling 2,120 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,120 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 78% admitNCAA Division III with football · Northwest Conference

About Portland, Oregon

Portland is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon. During the prehistoric period, the land that would become Portland was flooded after the collapse of glacial dams from Lake Missoula, in what would later become Montana. Portland is home to a range of classical performing arts institutions including the Portland Opera, Portland Baroque Orchestra, Oregon Symphony and Portland Youth Philharmonic; the last of these, established in 1924, was the first youth orchestra established in the United States. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
4 miles to Portland, OR
To the ocean
55 miles
Nearest airport
10 miles to Portland (PDX) · major hub

How Lewis & Clark College compares

Selectivity78.5%

More selective than 47% · #9 most selective of 23 in Oregon

Graduation rate75%

Higher than 85% · #2 of 22 in Oregon

First-year retention89%

Higher than 84%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$62,205

Higher than 72% · #8 of 24 in Oregon

Average net price$36,013

Cheaper than 8% · #21 cheapest of 21 in Oregon

Median debt at graduation$19,500

Lower than 78%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment2,120

Larger than 59%

Percentiles compare Lewis & Clark College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Oregon.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

3,485students
  • Undergraduate2,12061%
  • Graduate1,36539%

Undergraduates by gender

2,120undergrads
  • Women1,31462%
  • Men80638%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White63%
  • Black2.8%
  • Hispanic13%
  • Asian4.7%
  • Other or multiracial16%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,120
Graduate enrollment
1,365
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
20%
First-generation students
17%
Students over 25
1%
Median family income
$76,292
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$98,172
Endowment
$326,109,583

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
78.5%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$64,828
Room & board
$15,648
Books & supplies
$800
Total cost of attendance
$79,987
Average net price
$36,013

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
75%
Graduated on time (4 years)
63%
First-year retention
89%
Transferred to another college
21%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$43,608
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$62,205
Median debt at graduation
$19,500
Students with federal loans
66%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
77%

About 12% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
63%
Low-income (Pell)
77%
First-generation
71%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,516
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
72%
Housing charge (year)
$8,514
Meal plan (year)
$6,666
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
Northwest Conference
Varsity athletes
473 (280 men · 193 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (13)

Football107
Track and Field (Outdoor)63
Soccer54
Rowing43
Basketball30
Cross Country30
Baseball29
Tennis26
Swimming24
Softball22
Golf15
Lacrosse15
Volleyball15

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
3.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
29
Property offenses (2022–2024)
4

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,504 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

11reported offenses a year
9.7 violent a year1.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
6.0
Rape
3.0
Burglary
1.0
Aggravated assault
0.7
Motor vehicle theft
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$15,962
$30–48k
$18,362
$48–75k
$22,712
$75–110k
$25,917
$110k+
$44,990

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$96,418

$22,712/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$37,078
average award, among those who get one

Lewis & Clark College discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $37,078. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 623 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$62,205
Typical debt at graduation
$19,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
31%
Out-earn a HS grad
57%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.1 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$61,020
Men
$62,532

Men out-earn women by $1,512 (2%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
81°F
Winter low
37°F
Annual rain
44.1″
Annual snow
3.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.67.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Portland Kgw-TV, OR US station (4.7 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Lewis & Clark College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Lewis & Clark College side by side →

Colleges near Lewis & Clark College

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.