Private nonprofit · University
Willamette University
Salem, Oregon · Midsize city
- 77.1%
- Admit rate
- $25,121
- Avg net price
- 71%
- Graduation rate
- $56,911
- Median earnings
Willamette University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Salem, Oregon (midsize city setting), enrolling 1,592 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Willamette University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 77.1%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1240–1440
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.76
Enter a test score to see where you land against Willamette University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Willamette University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital city of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. Salem was founded in 1842, became the capital of the Oregon Territory in 1851, and was incorporated in 1857. Salem's Public Works Department, Parks Operations Division, is responsible for a park system encompassing 2,338 acres (946 ha) with 29.53 miles (47.52 km) of trails, 46 parks, and another 55 open and undeveloped areas. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 44 miles to Portland, OR
- To the ocean
- 48 miles
- Nearest airport
- 2 miles to Salem-Willamette Valley Airport/McNary Field (SLE)
How Willamette University compares
More selective than 50% · #7 most selective of 23 in Oregon
Higher than 88%
Higher than 80% · #6 of 22 in Oregon
Higher than 80%
Higher than 59% · #14 of 24 in Oregon
Cheaper than 29% · #12 cheapest of 21 in Oregon
Lower than 63%
Lower than 50%
Larger than 51%
Percentiles compare Willamette University 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
- Undergraduate1,59275%
- Graduate51925%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women90757%
- Men68543%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White65%
- Black2.5%
- Hispanic15%
- Asian3.9%
- Other or multiracial14%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,592
- Graduate enrollment
- 519
- Student–faculty ratio
- 13 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 24%
- First-generation students
- 19%
- Students over 25
- 1%
- Median family income
- $73,572
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $99,747
- Endowment
- $250,415,200
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 77.1%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1240–1440
- SAT average
- 1377
- SAT reading
- 640–730
- SAT math
- 600–710
- ACT composite
- 28–33
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.76
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $51,156
- Room & board
- $16,150
- Books & supplies
- $1,222
- Total cost of attendance
- $67,501
- Average net price
- $25,121
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)
- 71%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 62%
- First-year retention
- 87%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $38,932
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $56,911
- Median debt at graduation
- $21,500
- Students with federal loans
- 39%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 76%
About 9% 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
- 1,295
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 81%
- Housing charge (year)
- $7,900
- Meal plan (year)
- $7,590
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- Northwest Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 473 (261 men · 212 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 (14)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- D
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 9.3 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 20
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 41
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (2,180 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.
$18,225/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.
Willamette University discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $32,780. 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 523 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)
- $56,911
- Typical debt at graduation
- $21,500
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 38%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 61%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.8 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 $11,598 (22%) 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
- 84°F
- Winter low
- 35°F
- Annual rain
- 40.1″
- Annual snow
- 1.1″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Salem Mcnary Fld, OR US station (2.6 mi from campus).
What Willamette University 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 Willamette University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Willamette University side by side →
Knox College
Galesburg, Illinois · Distant town · 44 mi to Peoria
- Students
- 1,127
- Admission
- 71%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1326
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $55k
Wheaton College
Wheaton, Illinois · Large suburb · 24 mi to Chicago
- Students
- 2,121
- Admission
- 87%
- Net price
- $27k
- SAT
- 1380
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $64k
Lawrence University
Appleton, Wisconsin · Small city · 26 mi to Green Bay
- Students
- 1,396
- Admission
- 64%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1350
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $56k
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
Simmons University
Boston, Massachusetts · Large city · 3 mi to Boston
- Students
- 1,670
- Admission
- 70%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1316
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $63k
Simpson College
Indianola, Iowa · Fringe town · 16 mi to Des Moines
- Students
- 1,227
- Admission
- 86%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1440
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $59k
Colleges near Willamette University
Phagans School of Beauty
Salem, OR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 38 students
College of Hair Design Careers
Salem, OR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 58 students
Institute of Technology
Salem, OR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 267 students
Chemeketa Community College
Salem, OR · Public · Associate · 6,610 students
Corban University
Salem, OR · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 678 students
Western Oregon University
Monmouth, OR · Public · Bachelor's · 3,103 students
Mount Angel Seminary
Saint Benedict, OR · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 38 students
Linfield University
McMinnville, OR · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,621 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.












