The University of Puget Sound was established in 1888 as the College of Puget Sound. It was the first higher education institution in the Tacoma area and was founded by Reverend Daniel Baker. The college was initially housed in a downtown Tacoma building and had only three faculty members and 15 students. In 1891, the school moved to its current location on North Alder Street and changed its name to University of Puget Sound. In 1906, it gained accreditation from the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges.
Throughout its history, University of Puget Sound has grown from a small college with just 15 students to a vibrant liberal arts university with over 2,600 undergraduate students. The university offers more than 50 majors and minors in areas such as business, computer science, education, engineering, environmental studies, music, theatre arts and much more. Over the years it has also added several new buildings including a library, student union building and residence halls. Additionally, University of Puget Sound has built strong relationships with local organizations such as Tacoma Public Schools to provide internship opportunities for students. In recent years it has also been recognized nationally for its commitment to sustainability initiatives on campus. See topschoolsintheusa for top high schools in Rhode Island.
University of Puget Sound, as one of the top colleges ranked by major educational institutions, has impressed us by its high selectivity and student friendly application process during admissions. The following tables detail 2018 class profile, including total applications received, average high school GPA, SAT scores/ACT scores, and acceptance rates of University of Puget Sound. To learn more about GPA, SAT and ACT scores information, please follow the links below. If you want to find even more about University of Puget Sound, such as tuition fees and scholarships, you can click the link after tables to visit the school’s official website.
University acronym: https://www.abbreviationfinder.org/acronyms/ups_university-of-puget-sound.html
Admissions Stats
The University of Puget Sound’s admissions statistics are quite impressive. For the 2020-2021 academic year, they had an acceptance rate of 68%. This means that out of all the applicants that applied, 68% were accepted to the school. In terms of class size, the median class size is 18 students. The student-faculty ratio is 11:1 which indicates a high level of individual attention for each student. Additionally, the school boasts a freshman retention rate of 87%, meaning that 87% of freshmen return for their sophomore year. This indicates that students are mostly satisfied with their first-year experience at University of Puget Sound. Furthermore, admitted students have an average GPA of 3.60 and average SAT score in the range of 1250-1430 and an average ACT score in the range from 26-31. These scores indicate that admitted students are strong academically and have a good chance of succeeding at University of Puget Sound.
Fall 2022 Selectivity
| Selectivity | more selective |
| Fall 2022 acceptance rate | 52% |
| Early decision acceptance rate | 82% |
| Early action acceptance rate | N/A |
| Acceptance rate (excluding early action and early decision students) | 52% |
Fall 2022 Applications, Acceptances & Enrollments
| Applicants | 6,586 |
| Female applicants | 3,896 |
| Male applicants | 2,690 |
| Applicants accepted | 3,448 |
| Female applicants accepted | 2,122 |
| Male applicants accepted | 1,326 |
| Freshman enrollment | 625 |
| Female freshman enrollment | 355 |
| Male freshman enrollment | 270 |
| Early decision applicants | 151 |
| Early decision applicants accepted | 124 |
| Early decision applicants enrolled | N/A |
| Early action applicants | N/A |
| Early action applicants accepted | N/A |
| Early action applicants enrolled | N/A |
| Total enrolled incoming freshmen who were accepted under early acceptance or early action | N/A |
Fall 2022 Wait List
| School has a wait list | Yes |
| Applicants placed on wait list | 569 |
| Students accepting place on wait list | 246 |
| Students accepted from wait list | 146 |
Fall 2022 High School Rank
| Freshman students submitting high school class standing | 56% |
Fall 2022 High School GPA
| Freshman students submitting high school GPA | 100% |
| Average high school GPA | 3.5 |
| High school GPA 25th-75th percentile range | 3.3-3.8 |
Fall 2022 Freshman SAT Scores
| Freshman students submitting SAT scores | 82% |
| SAT Critical Reading average score | 624 |
| SAT Critical Reading 25th-75th percentile range | 570-680 |
| SAT Math average score | 605 |
| SAT Math 25th-75th percentile range: | 560-660 |
| SAT Writing average score | 612 |
| SAT Writing 25th-75th percentile range | 560-670 |
| SAT Essay 25th-75th percentile range | N/A |
Fall 2022 Freshman ACT Scores
| Freshman students submitting ACT scores | 50% |
| Average ACT Composite score | 27 |
| ACT Composite 25th-75th percentile range | 26-30 |
| ACT English 25th-75th percentile range | 26-31 |
| ACT Math 25th-75th percentile range | 24-29 |