Western Oregon University

Public · Moderately Selective · OR

Photo: Kingofthedead (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationOR · West

SettingRural

Undergrads3,103

Student:faculty13:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate29.1%

6-yr grad rate47.1%

Drop-out rate27.3%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$12k

Out-of-state tuition$33k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity44.5%

Gender diversity64.3%

International0.6%

Identity—

Overview

Western Oregon University, in Monmouth, is the oldest public university in Oregon and has kept its historical identity as a teacher-training institution even as it has grown into a broader comprehensive university. It remains one of the state's leading producers of classroom teachers, and its relatively small size gives it a more personal, less bureaucratic feel than Oregon's larger public universities.

Academics

Education is the anchor program, but Western Oregon's most nationally distinctive offering is its American Sign Language and interpreting studies program, one of the more established of its kind in the country and a draw for students from well outside Oregon who want to work as interpreters or in Deaf education. Class sizes across the university tend to be small.

Campus & student life

The Monmouth campus sits in the Willamette Valley a short drive from Salem, the state capital, giving students access to a larger city's resources without a big-university feel on campus itself. Because of its size, campus life tends to be closely knit, with students and faculty familiar with one another across programs.

Worth knowing

The ASL and interpreting studies program is a genuine national draw and should be a key data point for any student considering the field, since few public universities anywhere have built as established a program in it.

wou.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate98.1%

Enrolled mid-50%—

Test policynot used

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying