Reed College

Portland, OR · Private

Official website

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Admission rate

Reed College admitted 24.6% of applicants university-wide (2,321 of 9,431).

CohortAdmit rateAdmittedApplicants
University-wide24.6%2,3219,431
In-state30.0%153510
Out-of-state42.0%1,9784,708
International applicants4.5%1904,213
Early Decision (binding)15.2%80526
Men17.8%7294,099
Women28.3%1,3034,597

Early Decision applicants were admitted at 15.2%, vs 24.6% overall — ED is a binding commitment.

Also offers Early Action (closes Nov 15) — the Common Data Set doesn't publish EA admit counts.

Of 2,321 admitted students, 303 enrolled (13.1% yield).

Reed College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C1–C2 · 2024Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.

Test scores and GPA of admitted students

SAT (mid-50%)
1310–1490
ACT (mid-50%)
30–34
GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)
3.253.99

Testing policy: Test-optional (considered if submitted)

Reed College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C9–C12 · 2024Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.

Cost and financial aid

Published cost of attendance: $90,060/yr.

Out-of-state tuition$69,350
Fees, housing, food, books & other$20,710
Sticker cost of attendance$90,060/yr

Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)

Under $30k$12,674
$30k–48k$12,514
$48k–75k$14,513
$75k–110k$23,421
Over $110k$46,711

U.S. Dept. of Education · College Scorecard — average net price by family income (Title IV, from IPEDS) · 2023

US applicants

Need- and merit-based aid available.

  • Reed College GrantVaries (Need Based)
  • Reed College International Financial Aid (Need-Based Grant)Meets full demonstrated need (Need Based)

International applicants

Meets full demonstrated need for internationals.

  • Reed College GrantVaries (Need Based)
  • Reed College International Financial Aid (Need-Based Grant)Meets full demonstrated need (Need Based)

Reed College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections G–H · 2024

Application requirements

US applicants

  • Common Application or Coalition Application
  • School Report
  • Counselor Recommendation
  • Two Teacher Recommendations
  • Official Secondary School Transcripts
  • CSS Profile
  • Optional Interview (InitialView or Vericant) (optional)
  • Permanent Resident Card (I-551) (optional)

International applicants

  • Common Application or Coalition Application
  • School Report
  • Counselor Recommendation
  • Two Teacher Recommendations
  • Official Secondary School Transcripts
  • CSS Profile
  • Optional Interview (InitialView or Vericant) (optional)
  • Permanent Resident Card (I-551) (optional)
  • English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
  • GPA credential conversion
  • Predicted Class XII marksheet
  • Financial documentation (I-20)

Reed College · Application requirements (official admissions pages) · 2025

Essay prompts

The Common App personal essay is required (one of 7 shared prompts), plus 1 college-specific supplement:

  1. For one week at the end of January, Reed students upend the traditional classroom hierarchy and teach classes about any topic they love, academic or otherwise. This week is known as <i>Paideia</i> after the Greek term signifying “education” – the complete education of mind, body and spirit. What would you teach that would contribute to the Reed community? (200 words minimum, 500 words maximum)500 words · Required

Draft these in the free Essay Coach

Prompts from the Common App member feed · verified Jul 3, 2026

Graduate outcomes

Median earnings
$62,927
Median earnings · 10 years after entry
Graduation rate
71.5%
Within 150% of normal time
First-year retention
87%
Return for year two · CDS Section B
Median debt
$21,500
At graduation

Reed College · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.

Published rankings

  • U.S. News Liberal Arts: #63
  • Forbes: #226
  • Niche: #140

Deadlines

  • 2026-11-15Early ActionNon-binding early round
  • 2026-11-15Early DecisionBinding early round

Reed College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C21–C22 · 2024

Academics and campus

Largest degree fields: Social sciences (19%), Biological & life sciences (16%), English (8%).

Student–faculty ratio: 9:1 · 77% of class sections have under 20 students.

Reed College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections E, F, I · 2024Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.

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