Private nonprofit · University
University of Puget Sound
Tacoma, Washington · Midsize city
- 72.3%
- Admit rate
- $38,394
- Avg net price
- 68%
- Graduation rate
- $69,594
- Median earnings
University of Puget Sound is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Tacoma, Washington (midsize city setting), enrolling 1,594 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against University of Puget Sound's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 72.3%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1170–1380
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.63
Enter a test score to see where you land against University of Puget Sound's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and University of Puget Sound's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a city in and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. In 1852, Swedish immigrant Nicolas Delin built a water-powered sawmill on a creek near the head of Commencement Bay, but the small settlement that grew around it was abandoned during the Indian War of 1855–56. Tacoma adopted a percent for art ordinance in 1975, allocating one percent of construction costs from major public projects to public art. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 25 miles to Seattle, WA
- To the ocean
- 1 mile
- Nearest airport
- 5 miles to Tacoma Narrows (TIW)
How University of Puget Sound compares
More selective than 59% · #6 most selective of 21 in Washington
Higher than 79%
Higher than 74% · #8 of 25 in Washington
Higher than 74%
Higher than 83% · #7 of 27 in Washington
Cheaper than 6% · #23 cheapest of 25 in Washington
Lower than 34%
Lower than 76%
Larger than 51%
Percentiles compare University of Puget Sound with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Washington.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate1,59486%
- Graduate27014%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,01964%
- Men57536%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White66%
- Black3.1%
- Hispanic11%
- Asian6.8%
- Other or multiracial13%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,594
- Graduate enrollment
- 270
- Student–faculty ratio
- 10 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 17%
- First-generation students
- 12%
- Students over 25
- 2%
- Median family income
- $90,104
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $96,534
- Endowment
- $471,468,000
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 463 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Washington23%
- Other U.S. states77%
A national draw — only 23% of first-years come from Washington; 77% arrive from other states.
Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 72.3%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1170–1380
- SAT average
- 1296
- SAT reading
- 610–710
- SAT math
- 560–670
- ACT composite
- 27–31
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.63
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $62,898
- Room & board
- $16,498
- Books & supplies
- $1,000
- Total cost of attendance
- $78,378
- Average net price
- $38,394
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)
- 68%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 2%
- First-year retention
- 84%
- Transferred to another college
- 15%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $46,802
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $69,594
- Median debt at graduation
- $25,000
- Students with federal loans
- 43%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 77%
About 66% 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)
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
- 1,635
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 100%+
- Housing charge (year)
- $8,766
- Meal plan (year)
- $7,740
- Application fee
- $65
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- Northwest Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 494 (297 men · 197 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 (12)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- D
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 12.7 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 30
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 41
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,864 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$31,649/year × about 5.5 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.
University of Puget Sound discounts heavily: 99% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $31,340. 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 405 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)
- $69,594
- Typical debt at graduation
- $25,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 36%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 66%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $11,895 (18%) 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
- 77°F
- Winter low
- 37°F
- Annual rain
- 40.8″
- Annual snow
- 5.6″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Tacoma #1, WA US station (3.3 mi from campus).
What University of Puget Sound graduates study — and earn
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 University of Puget Sound
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of Puget Sound side by side →
Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
Norton, Massachusetts · Large suburb · 15 mi to Providence
- Students
- 1,773
- Admission
- 68%
- Net price
- $30k
- SAT
- 1308
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $68k
Hobart William Smith Colleges
Geneva, New York · Distant town · 38 mi to Rochester
- Students
- 1,786
- Admission
- 64%
- Net price
- $32k
- SAT
- 1319
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $69k
California Lutheran University
Thousand Oaks, California · Midsize city · 38 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 2,296
- Admission
- 76%
- Net price
- $30k
- SAT
- 1266
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $69k
Muhlenberg College
Allentown, Pennsylvania · Midsize city · 1 mi to Allentown
- Students
- 1,727
- Admission
- 72%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1343
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $69k
Westmont College
Santa Barbara, California · Midsize suburb · 3 mi to Santa Barbara
- Students
- 1,302
- Admission
- 77%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1328
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $65k
Salve Regina University
Newport, Rhode Island · Large suburb · 25 mi to Providence
- Students
- 2,121
- Admission
- 68%
- Net price
- $37k
- SAT
- 1232
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $73k
Colleges near University of Puget Sound
Bates Technical College
Tacoma, WA · Public · Certificate · 1,813 students
Northwest College of Art & Design
Tacoma, WA · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 139 students
Faith International University
Tacoma, WA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 276 students
University of Washington-Tacoma Campus
Tacoma, WA · Public · Bachelor's · 4,185 students
Tacoma Community College
Tacoma, WA · Public · Associate · 4,668 students
Summit Salon Academy
Tacoma, WA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 138 students
UEI College-Tacoma
Tacoma, WA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 689 students
Clover Park Technical College
Lakewood, WA · Public · Certificate · 2,636 students
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.












