Things to Know

The University's institutional research director, Karen Nelson, is sort of the central nervous system for all sorts of interesting data bits having to do with students. We combed her brain recently for a few.

• Undergraduates on The Bluff come from 39 states and 22 countries.
• After Oregon and Washington, the states providing the University with the most undergraduates are California and Hawaii.
• In the last ten years the number of students graduating with a Spanish major grew from 0 to 37; today there are more than 100 Spanish majors.
• The most popular major in the College of Arts & Sciences is biology.
• The most popular major among women at the University is nursing, followed by biology. Ten years ago the most popular major was elementary education.
• The most popular major among men at the University is mechanical engineering. Ten years ago it was business.
• Women at the University have higher grades (3.37 average) than men (3.11).
• 95% of undergraduates receive scholarship aid from the University and/or other sources.
• Of the students who graduate from the University, 85% do so in four years or less. Twelve percent take five years, three percent take six years.
• Undergraduate enrollment in the School of Nursing has increased more than 140% over the last ten years. Enrollment in the University as a whole is up 36%.
• The average Scholastic Aptitude Test score of entering freshmen has increased 40 points over the last 10 years, to nearly 1200.
• Nearly half the University's undergraduates are from Oregon (48%).
• The greatest growth areas for enrollment over the last ten years have come from Washington state (outside the Vancouver area) and other Western states.
• 43% of the University's undergraduates list their religious preference as Catholic; half of the undergraduates list their parents as Catholic.
• The number of students reporting their religious preference as 'other Christian' or 'none' is up eight percent over the past ten years.
• A third of entering freshmen consider themselves politically 'far left' or 'liberal', while a quarter say they are 'far right' or 'conservative.'
• Nearly 70% of University students graduate with loan debt. The average debt is $23,000.
• The average age of graduate students is 33 years; the youngest is 21 and the oldest is 65.
• Half of entering freshmen graduated in the top tenth of their high school graduating class; 80% graduated in the top quarter.
• For 81% of enrolling freshmen, the University was their first choice of colleges.
• 55% of the University's seniors plan on getting a master's degree; 20% plan to earn a Ph.D. or Ed.D.
• By the time they are seniors, a third of the University's students have studied abroad (in the University's programs in Australia, Austria, Chile, England, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Poland, and Scotland).
• A third of the University's undergraduates find internships during their college years.
• Forty percent of the University's students graduate with a different major than the one they declared as they entered college. Nine percent change their major more than once. Twelve percent graduate with two majors. The most popular second major: Spanish.
• Although a foreign language is not always a requirement for graduation, 36% of freshmen enroll in a language class at the University.
• Undergraduates report an average of 13 hours per week studying. Seniors report an average of 13 hours a week.
• The University receives more than 8,000 applications for its 800 freshman slots -- more than four times the applications received ten years ago.
• Of the students who are accepted by the University but do not choose to enroll, the most popular colleges they do attend are the University of Washington and Gonzaga University.
• 91% of nursing graduate students on The Bluff are female, 74% of graduate education students are female, 39 percent of MBA students are female.
• The average age of MBA students is 29; the average age of graduate education students is 34; the average age of graduate nursing students is 37.
• About two-thirds of UP graduate students attend part-time.
• Students in co-ed residence halls are more likely to know their hall- and floor-mates than are students in single-sex halls.
• Among freshmen adjusting to college, the biggest reported problem is loss of cars (the University bans cars for freshmen), and the least problematic is being required to share a room.
• A third of undergraduates have a job on campus.
• Being "well off financially" becomes a significantly less important goal for students between freshman and senior years.
• 75% of the University's students earn money for college during their college years, above the national average for private universities.
• 70% of the University's students perform volunteer service during college, above the national average among private universities.
• Undergraduates report 17 religious affiliations, among them Catholic, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Shinto, and Bahai.
• 9 percent of current students have had a family member or relative attend the University.
• 65% of the University's students attended public high school; 33% attended private high schools; 1% were home-schooled.