University of Oregon
Oregon's flagship public research university in Eugene, home of Hayward Field, the Clark Honors College and the Knight Campus.
- Acceptance rate
- 87%
- First-year students entering fall 2025 (Common Data Set 2025-26)
- Students
- 24,409
- 20,710 undergraduates
- International
- 1%
- of students
- Student–faculty
- 19:1
- ratio
- Tuition
- $47,466
- 2026-27
About UO
The University of Oregon opened in Eugene in 1876 and is the state's flagship public research university, an R1 institution and a member of the Association of American Universities. Its 295-acre campus sits near the Willamette River, and it also runs the Ballmer Institute for Children's Behavioral Health in Portland, the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology on the coast at Charleston and Pine Mountain Observatory in central Oregon. In fall 2025 it enrolled 24,409 students, 20,710 of them undergraduates.
Undergraduates choose from about 200 majors and minors across the College of Arts and Sciences, Lundquist College of Business, College of Design, College of Education, School of Journalism and Communication and School of Music and Dance. The Robert D. Clark Honors College adds a small, faculty-taught liberal arts track with a senior thesis, and the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact houses 14 bioengineering labs. The academic year runs on 10-week quarters.
Admission is broad rather than cut-throat: UO admitted 36,148 of 41,368 first-year applicants for fall 2025, and SAT or ACT scores are optional. It suits students who want a big Big Ten campus with strong school spirit, a deep outdoors culture and a flexible path, since 43 percent of undergraduates study abroad and more than 5,500 students have worked on civic projects through the Sustainable City Year Program.
Mens agitat molem
“The mind moves mountains” — university motto
Why students choose UO
The Clark Honors College offers discussion-based classes averaging 19 students, all taught by faculty, and a mentored senior thesis inside a large research university.
The Ballmer Institute runs a first-of-its-kind undergraduate degree that trains students to deliver evidence-based behavioral health services to children and teens.
Non-residents are automatically considered for the Oregon Distinction Scholarship of up to $20,000 a year, and the Duck Tuition Guarantee fixes tuition for up to five years.
Big Ten athletics centred on Autzen Stadium and Hayward Field, which hosted the 2022 World Athletics Championships, the first held in the United States.
Admissions
First-year students entering fall 2025 (Common Data Set 2025-26)
36,148 admitted from 41,368 applicants
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
5,009 first-years enrolled in fall 2025. 1,941 applicants were offered a place on the waiting list and 422 were admitted from it. Some majors run their own departmental review with separate deadlines; applicants admitted to UO but not to the program become Exploring (undeclared).
Typical entry requirements
| U.S. high school curriculum | 15 college-preparatory courses with C- or better: 4 years English, 3 math, 3 science, 3 social studies and 2 years of the same second language |
|---|---|
| International secondary education | At least a B (3.00) average; UO calculates the GPA itself from your transcripts and needs no external credential evaluation |
| IB Diploma | Average of at least 4s and 5s to be competitive; full IB Diploma candidates are considered for IB Diploma Scholarships |
| A-levels / IGCSE | Pass two A-level subjects and five IGCSE subjects, including English and mathematics |
| English language | IELTS 6.5 · TOEFL iBT 80 Full admission needs TOEFL iBT 80 (4.5 on the scale used from January 2026), IELTS 6.5 or Duolingo 110. Lower scores can lead to admission with academic English support or conditional admission through the UO Global Welcome intensive English program. Citizens of listed English-speaking countries are exempt, and full IB Diploma students have the requirement waived. |
Deadlines
- Early Action Non-binding Next deadline · In 26 daysNovember 1, 2026
Non-binding. Supporting documents by November 15. Decision (admit, deny or defer to Regular Decision) on January 5.
- Regular Decision Non-binding In ~3 monthsJanuary 15, 2027
Supporting documents due February 15. Equal consideration with Early Action; decisions by April 1. Also the deadline for automatic consideration for general university scholarships.
- Clark Honors College Non-binding In ~3 monthsJanuary 15, 2027
The Clark Honors College uses the same two deadlines: Early Action November 1, 2026 (documents November 15, notifications by early January) or January 15, 2027 (documents February 15). A separate honors essay is required.
UO's first-year page states that applications for fall 2027 are open and the site lists the Early Action deadline as November 1, 2026. International students may apply on a rolling basis until July 15 for fall, but may miss earlier scholarship deadlines.
How to apply
Common App or the Oregon Application (treated the same); $75 fee; self-reported transcript (STARS or the Common App courses and grades section); one essay of up to 650 words; optional SAT/ACT; optional recommendations (helpful if your GPA is 3.2 or below); optional special circumstances statement; separate 500-word essay for the Clark Honors College; departmental applications for some majors.
What admissions looks for
- Strength of academic coursework, with challenging classes continued through the end of senior year.
- An upward grade trend in academic courses, which UO reads as a sign of college readiness.
- A clear, well-written personal essay that shows academic motivation and fit with UO.
- Activities outside the classroom, including clubs, sports, jobs, volunteer work, college-prep programs and exceptional talents in the arts or athletics.
- Context: special circumstances such as illness or disability that affected your record are taken into account.
Tips for applying to UO
- 1 Apply Early Action by November 1 to get a decision by January 5; it is non-binding and carries priority access to spring admitted-student events.
- 2 Fill in the self-reported transcript carefully, because UO cannot review your file without it and uses it both to calculate your weighted GPA and to award scholarships.
- 3 If your GPA is 3.2 or below, add letters of recommendation and a special circumstances statement, which UO says can help.
- 4 Applying to the Clark Honors College means writing a second, separate essay of up to 500 words; the general UO essay cannot be reused.
- 5 Check departmental deadlines early if your intended major has its own application: the department reviews you separately and gives its own decision.
What are your chances?
Sign up to see your personalized admission chances for University of Oregon
Sign up to see your chancesCosts & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in USD
UO offers need-based aid through the FAFSA (priority date March 1) and automatic merit consideration for the Oregon Distinction Scholarship, worth up to $5,000 for Oregon residents and up to $20,000 for non-residents. PathwayOregon covers full tuition and fees for academically qualified, Pell Grant-eligible Oregonians. International students can receive merit scholarships and apply for international awards through the Scholarship Dashboard; UO says it awards more than $2.5 million a year to international students.
- 82%
- First-year students receiving financial aid
- 54%
- Average need met, first-year need-based aid recipients (CDS 2025-26)
- $14,857
- Average need-based grant, first-years with need (CDS 2025-26)
- 44 students, averaging $15,363
- International undergraduates receiving institutional aid (CDS 2025-26)
- $40,236 (non-residents $71,256)
- Oregon residents' 2026-27 estimated cost of attendance
Academics
Academic calendar: Quarters (three 10-week terms)
Robert D. Clark Honors College
A liberal arts honors college with average classes of 19, faculty-only teaching and a mentored senior thesis, open to students in more than 40 disciplines.
Ballmer Institute undergraduate degree in children's behavioral health
A first-of-its-kind program training undergraduates to provide evidence-based mental health services to children and teens.
Bioengineering at the Knight Campus
Fourteen bioengineering labs built around moving discoveries quickly into real-world applications for human health.
School of Journalism and Communication
The school behind alumni such as Ann Curry and Chuck Palahniuk, with its own honors program built on small classes and original research.
Sustainable City Year Program
Has sent more than 5,500 students to work on real civic projects such as affordable housing and park design with Oregon communities.
Research
- Classified R1 (very high research activity) and a member of the Association of American Universities.
- The Oregon Performance Research Laboratory studies how factors such as gut microbes, hormones and extreme heat affect physical performance.
- UO leads a regional consortium, the Oregon Mass Timber Innovation Engine, developing mass timber as a fast, sustainable housing material.
- Field stations include the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology in Charleston and Pine Mountain Observatory in central Oregon.
Schools & faculties
- College of Arts and Sciences
- Lundquist College of Business
- College of Design
- College of Education
- Robert D. Clark Honors College
- School of Journalism and Communication
- School of Music and Dance
- School of Law
- Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact
- Ballmer Institute for Children's Behavioral Health
College Scorecard: median earnings of $61,324 ten years after entry and $46,084 six years after entry for federally aided students.
Student life
All first-year Ducks start in on-campus residence halls, where every hall has a faculty member in residence and Academic Residential Communities group students by interest, from performing arts to sustainability and an astronomy community linked to the UO observatory. Campus life is anchored by the Erb Memorial Union, more than 450 student groups and five dining halls known for local, special-diet-friendly food. Football Saturdays at Autzen Stadium and track meets at Hayward Field set the rhythm of the year, and the Nike connection runs deep: co-founder Phil Knight is a UO alumnus.
- More than 450 student groups and organizations.
- Oregon Ducks compete in 18 varsity teams in the NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference.
- Hayward Field has hosted the U.S. Olympic Trials, NCAA championships and the 2022 World Athletics Championships.
- 43 percent of undergraduates study abroad.
Housing. First-year students live on campus in residence halls costing roughly $12,500 to $23,000 a year, and returning students can move to University Apartments or private rentals.
Location
Eugene is a mid-sized city in Oregon's Willamette Valley, within a two-hour drive of Portland and set between the Cascade Range and the Pacific coast. Students ride Lane Transit District buses free, and the city has 71 miles of paved off-street bike paths and 4,800 acres of natural areas, plus the Saturday Market, a live-music scene and dozens of murals. Expect rain in the cooler months; locals call it liquid sunshine.
Nearest airport: Eugene Airport (EUG)
Notable alumni
- PK Phil KnightCo-founder of Nike; ran track under coach Bill Bowerman at Oregon
- KK Ken KeseyAuthor of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (graduated 1957)
- AC Ann CurryJournalist and former NBC Today co-anchor; BA in journalism (1978)
- RW Ron WydenU.S. Senator from Oregon; JD, University of Oregon School of Law (1974)
- PB Pamela BjorkmanStructural biologist at Caltech; BA in chemistry
- DH Douglas HofstadterCognitive scientist and author of Godel, Escher, Bach; PhD in physics (1975)
- HH Hilda HeinePresident of the Marshall Islands; undergraduate degree (1970)
- SI Sabrina IonescuWNBA star and two-time national player of the year with the Oregon Ducks
Frequently asked questions
What is the University of Oregon's acceptance rate?
UO admitted 36,148 of 41,368 first-year applicants for fall 2025, an acceptance rate of about 87%. Some majors add their own departmental review and decision.
Is the University of Oregon test-optional?
Yes. SAT and ACT scores are optional and weigh far less than your courses and grades; enrolled students who submitted had a middle-50% SAT of 1050-1320 and ACT of 22-29.
When are the University of Oregon application deadlines?
For fall 2027, non-binding Early Action closes November 1, 2026 (decisions by January 5) and Regular Decision closes January 15, 2027 (decisions by April 1). The Clark Honors College uses the same November 1 and January 15 deadlines.
How much does the University of Oregon cost for out-of-state and international students?
For 2026-27, estimated tuition and fees are $47,466 for non-residents and $17,475 for Oregon residents, with on-campus housing and food at $18,183. The full estimated cost of attendance is $71,256 for non-residents.
Does the University of Oregon give scholarships to international students?
Yes. All first-year applicants meeting admission requirements are considered for the Oregon Distinction Scholarship (up to $20,000 a year for non-residents), and UO awards more than $2.5 million a year to international students through automatic and application-based scholarships.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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Universities ranked close to UO in the QS World University Rankings 2027.