"Willamette University is far away from the East Coast prestige machine in both geography and philosophy. It’s a place where you will grow, if you take advantage of the university’s abundant offerings and active community."
-Colleges That Change Lives

• Willamette is a highly selective, coeducational, residential, private liberal arts university founded in 1842—the first university established in the western U.S.
• Willamette's historic 60-acre campus, located across the street from the Oregon State Capitol, is an attractive blend of red brick buildings, huge trees, and sweeping, expansive green space.
• The university attracts engaged, enterprising, independent thinkers who want to make their mark on the world.
• Located in Salem, Oregon's capital, Willamette enjoys the environmental beauty and creative, civic-minded culture of the Pacific Northwest.

• Willamette's motto, "Not unto ourselves alone are we born," is a guiding principle, not a marketing mantra. Students continually think about ways to turn their passions into action, and the university is known nationally for its focus on service and sustainability.
• Willamette's 305-acre Zena Forest is an outdoor classroom where professors and students from multiple disciplines tie the local landscape to academic exploration. Students also run an organic farm at Zena that provides food to campus.
• Willamette is co-located with Tokyo International University of America, which integrates 100 students annually from the Pacific Rim into the university community. Willamette students can also enroll in the Japan Studies Program at Tokyo International University in Kawagoe.
• In the past five years, Willamette students and young alumni earned numerous national fellowships and scholarships, including 15 Fulbrights, 8 National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowships, 7 Kemper Scholarships, 5 NCAA Postgrad Scholarships, 3 Goldwaters, 2 Trumans and 1 Hertz Graduate Fellowship.

• Ten Willamette professors have been named Oregon Professor of the Year since 1990—a record unmatched by any other school in the state.
• 94% of Willamette professors hold the most advanced degree in their field.
• Willamette provides extensive opportunities for faculty-student collaborative research, including more than 75 competitive undergraduate research grants annually.
• Willamette places a strong emphasis on students gaining real-world experience to go with their degree—68% of students complete internships before they graduate, and 56% earn study abroad credit.
• Willamette's dual degree programs with its College of Law and Atkinson Graduate School of Management allow students to earn both a bachelor's and a master's degree in less time.

• Willamette has more than 100 existing student clubs and organizations, and if students still can’t find one that suits them, they are encouraged to start their own.
• 95% of students participate in campus clubs and activities, and they join an average of three organizations.
• Willamette students take full advantage of the Pacific Northwest's natural playground through organized trips in the Outdoor Program.
• The campus has 16 music ensembles and performing arts clubs, and it produces four major theatre productions annually.
• Willamette undergraduates take community service seriously, dedicating 44,000 hours a year to volunteering.

• Willamette alumni continue to demonstrate the enterprising spirit they developed on campus, while living the university motto, "Not unto ourselves alone are we born." They frequently turn their ideas into new companies, start nonprofits to address pressing concerns worldwide or give to their communities through volunteerism.
• Recent employers of Willamette grads include Boeing, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Reserve Bank, Intel, MercyCorps, Microsoft, National Public Radio, Nike and Oakley. Many alumni also join Teach for America, Americorps and the Peace Corps—Willamette ranks among the top 20 small schools for Peace Corps volunteers.
• Many Willamette students go on to top-notch graduate schools, including Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, Harvard University, Princeton University, Stanford University, University of California-Berkeley and Yale University.
• Willamette provides a wide array of career-related programs to help students, including a first-year program on career preparation, individual career counseling, an alumni career network and workshops on job applications and interviews.

• Median GPA: 3.79
• Median SAT (Critical Reading + Math + Writing): 1800
• Median ACT: 27
• Median class rank: 84%
• First-generation college students: 17%
• Multicultural: 33%