University of Puget Sound

Private · Moderately Selective · WA

Photo: Gregg M. Erickson (Farwestern) (Public domain)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationWA · West

SettingUrban

Undergrads1,594

Student:faculty10:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate1.5%

6-yr grad rate68%

Drop-out rate16%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$63k

Out-of-state tuition$63k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity33.9%

Gender diversity56.3%

International0.4%

Identity—

Overview

The University of Puget Sound is a liberal arts college in a residential neighborhood of Tacoma, Washington, with Mount Rainier visible on clear days. It combines a traditional liberal-arts core with a genuinely strong music school, giving it a somewhat unusual dual identity for a college its size.

Academics

Sciences and pre-health preparation are particular strengths, with students going on to medical and other health-professional programs at a solid rate, and the School of Music is respected well beyond the Pacific Northwest, drawing serious music students who could have gone to a conservatory instead. Class sizes stay small across departments.

Campus & student life

Puget Sound's culture blends academic seriousness with a genuine outdoor orientation — hiking, skiing, and time on the water are woven into student life rather than being a side activity, consistent with the broader Pacific Northwest culture around the school. Athletics compete at the Division III level.

Getting in

Puget Sound reviews applications holistically and has long not required standardized test scores, putting more weight on coursework rigor, essays, and demonstrated fit with the school's academic culture.

After graduation

Pre-health graduates place well into medical and health-professional programs, and the music school's graduates go on to performance, teaching, and graduate conservatory programs at a notable rate for a liberal arts college.

pugetsound.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate72.2%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1170–1380 · ACT 27–31

Test policyoptional

Rec letters2

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early actionNov 1

Early decisionNov 1

Regular decisionJan 15

Applying