Reed College

Portland, OR

Yes, connect me!

Reed College

Portland, OR

Yes, connect me!

Explore Reed College's Featured Profiles:

Undergrad Science & Engineering Diversity Health & Medicine International Transfer

Undergrad Profile

Apply Online Send an Email Visit Website

Be empowered at Reed College

“If you’re a genuine intellectual, live the life of the mind, and want to learn for the sake of learning, the place most likely to best empower you is...the most intellectual college in the country—Reed, in Portland, Oregon.” — Loren Pope, Colleges That Change Lives

Located just 10 minutes from downtown Portland, Oregon, Reed College is a nexus for a diverse group of scholars who wrestle with big ideas and explore ways to apply those ideas to the world around them. 

With a student-faculty ratio of 10:1 and all classes taught by professors rather than teaching assistants, undergraduate education comes first at Reed. Guided by a thoughtfully constructed sequence of topics and architecture of ideas, students map an academic course that culminates in their senior thesis. They work alongside professors who share their deep enthusiasm for scholarship, inquiry, and academic excellence.

Whoever you are (even if you’re still deciding who that is), you’ll find that Reed is a humanizing place of infinite subsets where you can reinvent yourself constantly. Whether it’s at a comic book reading, on a trip to Mount Hood, or on the rugby field, you’ll find your people at Reed. If you’re ready to look beyond the superficial to seek the truth and discover unlimited possibilities, you’re ready for Reed.

ACCOLADES

 

Ranked #1 for "Best Classroom Experience" | The Princeton Review
 

Fourth-highest producer of PhDs per capita among all US colleges and universities
 

Ranked #2 for "Professors Get High Marks"
 

Ranked #6 among colleges with "Great Financial Aid"
 

Second-highest producer of Rhode Scholars, with 32, among Liberal Arts Colleges
 

116 Fulbright Scholars

Reed College Fast Facts

• Founded in 1908
• Four-year, private, nonsectarian coeducational college of the liberal arts and sciences

Academics
• Student-faculty ratio: 9:1
• Average class size: 17 students
• Bachelor of Arts available in the following majors and interdisciplinary areas:
   - American Studies
   - Anthropology
   - Art
   - Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
   - Biology
   - Chemistry
     - PHYSICS
   - Chinese
   - Classics
     - RELIGION
   - Comparative Literature
   - Comparative Race & Ethnicity Studies
   - Computer Science
   - Dance
     - THEATRE
   - Economics
   - English
   - Environmental Studies
   - French
   - General Literature
   - German
   - History
     - LITERATURE
   - International & Comparative Policy Studies
   - Linguistics
   - Literature
     - THEATRE
   - Mathematics
     - COMPUTER SCIENCE
     - PHYSICS
     - STATISTICS
   - Music
   - Neuroscience
   - Philosophy
   - Physics
   - Political Science
   - Psychology
   - Religion
     - POLITICAL SCIENCE
   - Russian
   - Sociology
   - Spanish
   - Theatre
• Three dual-degree (3-2) programs: Engineering, Forestry—Environmental Science, and Visual Arts
• Master of Arts in Liberal Studies

Student Profile
• Undergraduate enrollment as of July 2019:
   - Women: 773 (52.5%)
   - Men: 699 (47.5%)
   - Total: 1,483
• SAT, middle 50% (Class of 2023): 1350–1490
   - SAT Math: 660–780
   - SAT Evidence-Based Reading & Writing: 670–750
• ACT: 30–34
• High school class rank (Class of 2023) for schools that report rank:
   - Top 25% of class: 92 (23% of the incoming class)
   - Top 10% of class: 57 (14% of the incoming class)
   - 20 valedictorians and four salutatorians
• High schools represented:
   - Public schools: 64%
   - Private schools: 22%
   - Parochial schools: 10%
   - Charter or home schools: 4%

Outcomes
• Reed has produced the second-highest number of Rhodes Scholars from a small college (32).
• Among all institutions, Reed ranks fourth in the nation of future PhDs. It ranks second in the nation in life sciences and third in the nation in social sciences (source: NSF WebCASPAR; data compiled by HEDS).
• Reed is the only undergraduate college in the country with its own nuclear research reactor. The reactor is used for science courses and senior thesis research. Any student can become certified to operate the reactor, regardless of major.
• Graduate schools most frequently attended by Reed alumni for Law, Medicine, Business, and other graduate studies include the Universities of Chicago, California, Berkely, and Oregon; Harvard; Stanford; Cornell; Yale; Columbia; and Lewis & Clark Law School

An Inside Look

What students are saying about us...

  • “One of my favorite aspects of Reeds is the casual relationship between students and faculty. In fact, it is one of the reasons I chose Reed. I wanted to attend an institution not only where my professor would know my name, face, strengths, and weaknesses, but where the classroom would feel like a place of collaboration.”

    • Anonymous

  • “When I’m on campus at Reed, there’s a very visceral feeling that everyone around me is working on something they’re passionate about. Everyone always has a side project, an art piece, an internship, a job, that they devote their time to within the community, which makes for an incredible mix of perceptions in an academic context.”

    • Anonymous

  • “The first few months at Reed were a transformative experience in which I began to question perspectives I had previously believed to be fact, form new ideas, and establish who I am and what I believe. I have formed friendships that have challenged me to be a better person, encouraged me to stay true to myself, and, through example, have demonstrated how to be a more loving and supportive friend. Furthermore, Reed has provided me with academic experiences and relationships that have prepared me professionally and will undoubtedly give me an edge in my field. Coming to Reed was beyond any college experience I could have ever asked for. It has been bittersweet trying to cram such beautiful experiences, with such amazing people, into two years but I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to do so.“

    • Savanna
      Class of 2021 Transfer

  • “Financial Aid was the most important factor in my choice to come to Reed. I was blown away by the package I received, and coming from a low SES background, I needed a generous package to go to any school. I am beyond grateful that the financial aid office was so incredibly helpful throughout the whole process of applying and figuring out the paperwork.”

    • Anonymous