Experience a community that welcomes bold initiatives and diverse perspectives. At Willamette, you’ll forge friendships with artists, athletes, entrepreneurs and activists who inspire you to think big. And you’ll join them in activities that hone your leadership skills and prepare you to excel in the world of tomorrow.
We invite you to schedule a visit and find out what it’s like to be a Bearcat. In the meantime, take a look at this overview of our campus community and explore the opportunities that await you at Willamette.
Welcome to Willamette
Get to know our student body at a glance.
2022 First-Year Profile
- Applied: 3,993
- Admitted: 3,218
- Enrolled: 537 (as of 8/17/22)
- GPA: 3.96 (weighted)
- Test Optional: 65% of the entering class
All Undergraduate Students
- Undergraduate enrollment: 1,585
- States represented: 41
- Countries represented: 13
- Students of color: 33%
Think 24/7
Take courses in multiple disciplines, collaborate with faculty on innovative studies, and socialize with your professors and classmates in our academic hearths.
- Academic majors and programs: 50+
- Undergraduate average class size: 17
- Undergraduate student-faculty ratio: 12:1
- Full-time faculty with PhD/terminal degree: 92%
- Full-time undergraduate faculty: 93%
- Students involved in research, internships and study abroad: 100%
Be enterprising
Join a student community that founded the Bistro coffeehouse and the SOAR Center, which provides food, books and clothing to students in need.
- Student-run clubs and organizations: 80+
- Intramural and club sports: 40
- Music ensembles: 9
- Performing arts clubs: 10
- Student participation in intercollegiate athletics: 22%
- Annual Outdoor program trips: 100+
- Annual service hours: 70,655
Be a standout
Showcase your skills at the NCAA Division III level and add to the legacy of excellence that defines Bearcat athletics.
- Baseball (M)
- Basketball (M, W)
- Cross Country (M, W)
- Football (M)
- Golf (M, W)
- Lacrosse (W)
- Soccer (M, W)
- Softball (W)
- Swimming (M, W)
- Tennis (M, W)
- Track and Field (M, W)
- Triathlon (W)
- Volleyball (W)
Be yourself
Find your place at a campus that celebrates diversity. Discover resources through the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Gender Resource and Advocacy Center, and connect with students in these clubs:
- Alianza
- Asian Coalition for Equality
- Black Student Union (BSU)
- Chinese Taiwanese Culture Association (CTCA)
- Hawai‘i Club
- Japan Studies Student Leaders (JSSL)
- Native and Indigenous Student Union (NISU)
- Rainbow Alliance
Live your potential
Explore our six Career Communities and push the boundaries of knowledge in professional internships that prepare you for a life of meaning and accomplishment.
Recent employers
- Boeing
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Federal Reserve Bank
- Intel
- MercyCorps
- Microsoft
- National Public Radio
- Nike
- Oakley
- Seattle Seahawks
Select graduate schools attended
- Columbia University
- Harvard School of Public Health
- London School of Economics
- Oxford University
- Princeton University
- Stanford University
- University of California-Berkeley
- Willamette University
- Yale University
National scholars since 2008
- Fulbright Fellows: 28
- National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellows: 15
- Gilman International Scholars: 13
- NCAA Postgraduate Scholars: 8
- Truman Scholars: 3
- Luce Scholars: 4
- Udall Scholars: 3
Notable firsts
- Emily York became Willamette’s first graduate at a time when women were frequently barred from college.
- Daryl Chapin co-invented the first solar cell, earning him a spot in the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
- Elizabeth Heaston made history when she became the first female to play in a collegiate football game.
- Jennifer Allaway presented landmark research on the prevalence of sexism in gaming at the nation’s largest gaming conference.
- Lisa Oakley was among the first health care professionals to investigate the source of COVID-19, and her team’s findings prompted new national safety standards
- Adrian Uphoff spearheaded a bill that established a universal health care commission in Oregon.
- Monya Maleki pioneered research on the benefits of ballet for football players and presented her findings at a professional conference.
- Anna Ayala synthesized a new breed of anesthetics as part of an undergraduate research project.