Reed College

Reed College has grown increasingly competitive even as its ranking has improved, placing 60th among national liberal arts colleges in the 2027 U.S. News ranking. In 2025, the college admitted 24.6% of applicants, an admit rate that is higher than only 7% of peer private liberal arts colleges with similar ranks, reflecting a selective admissions environment. However, the yield rate was relatively low at 13.1%, which is higher than 17% of peer schools. This indicates that while admission is selective, only a small fraction of accepted applicants ultimately enroll, showing that the college faces strong competition from other institutions when enrolling its admitted class.

Reed College operates under an admission test policy that is optional, considered if submitted. For the 2025 entering class, published score ranges highlight high academic expectations for those who chose to submit testing. The middle 50% of admitted students earned composite ACT scores between 30 and 34, while the median SAT reached 1420. In peer comparisons against 30 similarly ranked private liberal arts colleges, Reed's median SAT is higher than 89% of peer schools. A majority of the 2025 incoming class submitted SAT results, with a smaller proportion submitting ACT scores. Academic performance in high school is equally critical for successful admission. In the 2023–2024 academic year, 20.0% of enrolling students held a 4.0 GPA, and most applicants presented transcripts filled with top-tier marks. To build a competitive application, prospective students should aim for sustained excellence in demanding high school coursework and, when choosing to provide test scores, results that align closely with these established upper-tier ranges.

Graduation outcomes at Reed College show that academic studies are balanced across the liberal arts and sciences rather than concentrated in a single department. In 2025, the top three undergraduate majors accounted for 28.1% of bachelor's completions, led by English Language and Literature, General, followed by Experimental Psychology and Biology/Biological Sciences, General. Earnings data from 2021 reveal that starting pay varies noticeably by field one year after graduation: bachelor's recipients in Economics earned a median of $53,110, whereas those in General Biology earned $25,596. Students should evaluate their specific discipline closely when considering the financial returns of their degree.

The student body at Reed College totaled 1,358 students in 2025, dominated by full-time undergraduates alongside tiny cohorts of transfer and graduate students. Across the campus, white students form the largest racial group, representing about half of undergraduate newcomers and an even larger share of continuing undergraduates. Asian students account for a consistent presence, making up 7.3% of the 303 incoming undergraduate freshmen and 8.4% of continuing undergraduates. International students also represent an established segment of campus life, comprising 9.9% of the incoming first-year class.

Reed College undergraduates are overwhelmingly of traditional college age, creating an educational environment centered on young adults. In 2025, students aged twenty to twenty-one formed the largest segment at 46.1% of all undergraduates, followed closely by those aged eighteen to nineteen at 41.5%. A modest fraction of undergraduates were older, while the graduate division enrolled a total of 12 students who were all mature adults. For prospective students, this profile indicates that general campus life and academic coursework are shared almost exclusively with peers moving directly from high school through their undergraduate studies.

International representation at Reed College is concentrated at the undergraduate level, with no international students enrolled in its tiny graduate program. In 2025, undergraduate international students accounted for 9.2% of the undergraduate body, a proportion higher than 57% of peer private liberal arts colleges with similar ranks. Among bachelor's degree recipients that year, international students made up 7.6% of all graduates. Their presence varied widely across disciplines, reaching 14.8% in Mathematics, General, while popular majors such as Biology/Biological Sciences, General and Environmental Studies had no international graduates.

Families exploring higher education in the Portland metropolitan area and surrounding Oregon regions will find several distinct college options near Reed College. Just 2.8 kilometers away, Lewis & Clark College is a private institution ranked 97th among national liberal arts colleges in the 2027 rankings. Nearby in downtown Portland, Portland State University sits 3.4 kilometers from campus, offering a public urban alternative ranked 236th among national universities. Slightly farther southwest in Newberg, George Fox University is located 20.4 kilometers away and ranked 262nd among national universities. In addition, Pacific University, located 23.3 kilometers west in Forest Grove, is tied at rank 236 among national universities. These nearby institutions offer families varied choices in institutional mission, campus setting, and size within short driving distances.

Campus safety at Reed College is primarily characterized by disciplinary rule enforcement rather than violent crime. The crime rate per 1,000 students stood at 51.5 in 2025, down from earlier highs over the past decade. From 2023 to 2025, disciplinary referrals formed the largest category of campus incidents, totaling 166 drug referrals and 117 alcohol referrals. Over that same three-year period, direct criminal offenses on campus consisted primarily of property crimes, such as theft and motor vehicle theft, alongside a smaller number of dating violence and stalking reports.