University of Puget Sound

Students sitting together on a sunny day under cherry blossom trees with a red brick building in the background.

The University of Puget Sound is a bright spot on the map of American higher education. Students searching for thoughtful professors, a lively interdisciplinary vibe, friendly classmates, and a beautiful setting ought to add the university to their short list.”
Colleges That Change Lives

The best way to get a sense of University of Puget Sound is by visiting our campus, but if you can’t make it to campus, we encourage you to explore our virtual tour. We look forward to greeting you virtually or on campus!

University of Puget Sound
1500 North Warner Street
Tacoma, WA 98416-1062
253.879.3211
admission@pugetsound.edu
www.pugetsound.edu
⋅ 1,800 undergraduate students
⋅ Students come from 44 US states and 4 countries
⋅ 31.5% students of color; 17% first-generation students
⋅ 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio
⋅ Average class size: 17
⋅ Tuition, room, board, and fees (2023-2024): $78,569
⋅ Students are automatically considered for merit scholarships ranging up to $33,000, and the average scholarship and aid package is $32,482.
⋅ Talent scholarships are available in music, theatre arts, studio art/art history, and forensics (debate).

Character
  • Founded in 1888, Puget Sound is one of a handful of selective liberal arts colleges in the Pacific Northwest. The college features an intellectually lively and academically motivated community.
  • Located on an intimate and inviting campus between the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges, along the shores of the Puget Sound near the creative urban center of Tacoma, Wash., the college offers close proximity to the cultural offerings of Seattle and the natural wonders of the Pacific Northwest.
  • Puget Sound offers the distinctive combination of an outstanding liberal arts curriculum and Schools of Music and Business and Leadership.
  • Innovative interdisciplinary programs include Asian studies; environmental policy and decision making; gender studies; global development studies; international political economy; Latin American studies; neuroscience; and science, technology, and society.

Worth Noting
  • Puget Sound is the only national independent liberal arts college in Western Washington, and one of just five independent colleges in the Northwest granted a charter by Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s most prestigious honor society.
  • Students study abroad in more than 100 programs in 40 countries.
  • As a founding member of the Nationwide Internships Consortium (NIC) and a participant in the Liberal Arts Career Network (LACN), Puget Sound connects students with thousands of internship opportunities across the country.
  • The college has close ties to Asia, including an Asian Studies Program; majors in Japanese, Chinese, and East Asian languages; and a three-month Pacific Rim Study Abroad Program that happens every two years.
  • Puget Sound’s commitment to environmental sustainability includes STARS certification and numerous LEED-certified campus buildings.
  • In fall 2016, Puget Sound opened the Athletics & Aquatics Center, with a new 25-yard pool; a two-level, 12,500-square-foot fitness center with a climbing wall; and a juice bar as part of our commitment to supporting an integrated living and learning experience for our students and competitive training facilities for student-athletes.
  • In recent years The Princeton Review has regularly ranked Puget Sound among the top 20 colleges for “Most Accessible Faculty” and “Best College Radio Station.”
  • The School of Music at Puget Sound offers degrees in music performance, education, and songwriting. Students benefit from the school’s excellent faculty, broad ensemble offerings, student-run clubs, and the opportunity to audition for talent scholarships regardless of their major.

Faculty & Academics
  • A student-faculty ratio of 11:1 means small classes and close, personal attention from faculty members.
  • More than 1,200 classes are offered each year in more than 50 traditional and interdisciplinary areas of study. All classes and labs are taught by professors, never by graduate students or teaching assistants.
  • Every student is guaranteed at least one experiential learning opportunity, including study abroad, independent research, internship, and community-based learning.
  • 99% of tenure-line faculty members hold a doctorate or equivalent degree.

Areas of Study
For the most current listings, please check the college website.

Areas of Study
1 – Academic Minor Only
2 – Interdisciplinary Emphasis or Designation
3 – Advising Program

African American Studies
Art (Studio Art and Art History)
Asian Languages and Cultures (Chinese, Japanese, and East Asian Languages)
Asian Studies – 1
Biochemistry
Bioethics – 1
Biology
Business (Business Administration and Business Leadership)
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Chinese
Communications Studies
Computer Science
Crime, Law, & Justice Studies – 1
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Economics
Education Studies – 1
Engineering, Dual Degree
English
Environmental Arts and Humanities
Environmental Policy and Decision Making
Exercise Science
French and Francophone Studies
Gender and Queer Studies
German Studies
Global Development Studies – 2
Greek, Latin & Ancient Mediterranean Studies
Hispanic Studies and Spanish Language
History
Honors Program in Consciousness, Creativity & Meaning
Humanities – 1
Interdisciplinary Humanities Emphasis – 2
International Political Economy
Japanese
Latin American Studies – 1
Latino/a Studies – 1
Mathematics
Molecular and Cellular Biology
Music (Music Performance, Music Education, and Songwriting)
Natural Science
Neuroscience
Philosophy
Physics
Politics and Government
Pre-Med – 3
Pre-Law – 3
Psychology
Religion, Spirituality, & Society
Science, Technology, Health and Society
Sociology and Anthropology
Special Interdisciplinary Major
Theatre Arts

Graduate Programs
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Master of Arts in Teaching
Master of Education in Counseling
Master of Public Health
Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program
Occupational Therapy Masters Program

Campus Life
  • Students are actively engaged in co-curricular activities, including more than 100 wide-ranging organizations and clubs, student media, student government, and fraternities and sororities.
  • Nearly 70% of students, including all first- and second-years live on campus. Themed residence halls and houses, such as the Adventure Education community and the Japanese House, support the college’s 24/7 living-learning environment and create strong links between academics and residence life.
  • Puget Sound’s robust outdoor program leads trips every weekend and over breaks. Students enjoy backpacking, camping, climbing, cross country skiing, hiking, mountain biking, snowshoeing, and surfing in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
  • Every weekend at Puget Sound, campus comes alive with events ranging from lectures and ensemble performances to plays, musicals, and movie nights.
  • More than 75% of students participate in a wide range of service opportunities with approximately 250 community partners.
  • Students compete in 23 varsity sports in the NCAA Division III Northwest Conference (NWC), as well as in a variety of intramural and club sports.

Varsity Sports

23 varsity sports in the NCAA Division III, Northwest Conference—learn more on the college website.

Baseball (Men)
Basketball
Cheerleading
Crew
Cross Country
Football (Men)
Golf
Lacrosse (Women)
Soccer
Softball (Women)
Swimming
Tennis
Track and Field
Volleyball (Women)

Life After College
  • Puget Sound students have earned more than 200 national scholarships since 2001, including Fulbright, Rhodes, Goldwater, Watson, National Science Foundation, Critical Language, Boren, Princeton in Asia, and Luce in Asia Scholarships.
  • Puget Sound is in the top 7% of baccalaureate-granting institutions
    nationwide whose graduates go on to earn doctorates, according to data from the National Science Foundation Survey of Earned Doctorates.
  • Puget Sound ranks No. 1 among baccalaureate colleges in Washington state, and in the top 10% nationally, for number of graduates who go on to earn doctoral degrees, according to a survey by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC).
  • Puget Sound graduates enjoy 80% medical school acceptance rate and 90% law school acceptance rate.
  • The college fosters a strong culture of service, and is consistently ranked among the top small colleges for alumni serving in the Peace Corps and Teach for America.
  • A strong alumni network provides students with lifelong connections and learning opportunities.

Academic Profile of Entering Class
  • Middle 50% SAT: 1160-1388
  • Middle 50% ACT composite: 27-31
  • Average Unweighted GPA: 3.63
  • 31.5% students of color
  • 70% students from out of state
  • 43% male; 57% female
  • 17% first-generation students