University of Oregon vs. University of Washington
Every spring, crowds pack the Quad at the University of Washington to stand under blooming cherry trees, and that crowd hints at the scale you'd join. UW runs huge. It sits in Seattle, wired into the city's tech and medical economy, and pushes most of its students toward the sciences, computing, and engineering. You'd find your own footing in big first-year lecture halls, because nobody hands it to you here. Oregon keeps things tighter in Eugene, along the Willamette, where the social sciences lead the catalog and a well-regarded journalism school pulls its own crowd. Oregon also carries deep track-and-field history at Hayward Field, and almost every first-year lives on campus. Washington asks more of your application too: it ignores SAT and ACT scores outright, while Oregon stays test-optional and admits the large majority who apply. For computer science in a real city, if you can stomach being one face in a very large crowd, aim for Washington.
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Acceptance Rate
Overall acceptance rate, plus the in-state and out-of-state admit rates the school reports separately.
Admit rate by residency
% admittedEarly Action
Oregon offers non-binding Early Action — an earlier decision with no commitment to enroll.
Standardized Tests
Oregon is currently test-optional — you may apply without submitting scores.
SAT Accepted?
ACT Accepted?
Test Optional?
SAT Scores
ACT Scores
Admissions Factors
How Oregon weighs each part of your application.
Rigor of High School Record
Academic GPA
Standardized Test Scores
Application Essay
Recommendations
Extracurricular Activities
Character / Personal Qualities
Talent / Ability
First Generation
Level of Applicant's Interest
Class Rank
Volunteer Work
Work Experience
Geographical Residence
State Residency
Alumni Relation
Racial / Ethnic Status
Religious Affiliation
Cost of Attendance
Estimated full-time annual cost from Oregon's Common Data Set. Only tuition changes with residency.
Out-of-state students pay $29,991 more — entirely in tuition. Room, board, and other costs are identical regardless of residency.
Financial Aid
Need-based aid statistics for full-time first-year students.
Major Distribution
Bachelor's degrees awarded in the past year by academic major.
Student Diversity
Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduate students.
Student-Faculty Ratio
The number of students for every one faculty member, indicating the average level of access students have to instructional staff.
Campus Life
On-campus housing and Greek life participation rates.
Enrollment by Gender
Since some students did not report gender, totals may not fully reflect the student body.
Acceptance Rate
Overall acceptance rate, plus the in-state and out-of-state admit rates the school reports separately.
Admit rate by residency
% admitted~1.2× higher admit rate for in-state applicants.
Early Admissions
UW does not offer an Early Decision or Early Action plan; all applicants apply through Regular Decision.
Standardized Tests
UW is test-free — SAT and ACT scores are not considered in admissions.
SAT / ACT scores are not used
UW does not review SAT or ACT scores for admission, even if you submit them. Applicants are evaluated on GPA, coursework, essays, and activities instead.
Admissions Factors
How UW weighs each part of your application.
Rigor of High School Record
Academic GPA
Standardized Test Scores
Application Essay
Recommendations
Extracurricular Activities
Character / Personal Qualities
Talent / Ability
First Generation
Level of Applicant's Interest
Class Rank
Volunteer Work
Work Experience
Geographical Residence
State Residency
Alumni Relation
Racial / Ethnic Status
Religious Affiliation
Cost of Attendance
Estimated full-time annual cost from UW's Common Data Set. Only tuition changes with residency.
Out-of-state students pay $31,234 more — entirely in tuition. Room, board, and other costs are identical regardless of residency.
Financial Aid
Need-based aid statistics for full-time first-year students.
Major Distribution
Bachelor's degrees awarded in the past year by academic major.
Student Diversity
Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduate students.
Student-Faculty Ratio
The number of students for every one faculty member, indicating the average level of access students have to instructional staff.
Campus Life
On-campus housing and Greek life participation rates.
Enrollment by Gender
Since some students did not report gender, totals may not fully reflect the student body.
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Oregon vs. UW: frequently asked questions
Is it harder to get into UW or University of Oregon?＋
Washington is considerably harder to crack. UW admitted about 41.7% of applicants last cycle against roughly 87.4% at Oregon, so the Ducks let in more than twice the share. About 29% of UW's first-years come from out of state and 49% of Oregon's do, but Seattle gets tighter for non-residents, and direct-admit majors like UW computer science run far below that overall 41.7%.
Do UW and University of Oregon require the SAT or ACT?＋
Neither one requires the SAT or ACT, but they treat scores oppositely. UW goes test-free and ignores the SAT and ACT entirely, so don't bother sending them. Oregon stays test-optional and will read scores you do send: among Oregon enrollees who submitted, the middle 50% landed at 1050–1320 on the SAT and 22–29 on the ACT. Course rigor and academic GPA drive both reads, with admitted averages near 3.84 at UW and 3.73 at Oregon.
Is UW or University of Oregon better for computer science?＋
For computer science, Washington wins. Computing is UW's most popular field at roughly 13% of bachelor's degrees, and Seattle drops students into a thick cluster of tech employers. Oregon spreads its degrees elsewhere, leading with the social sciences and business (each about 16%) then communication and journalism (about 13%), so its strengths lean toward journalism, business, and the arts rather than a computing-first path.
Is UW or University of Oregon cheaper for out-of-state students?＋
Sticker prices land close for out-of-state students, with UW near $44,640 in tuition and fees and Oregon near $47,466, though UW does more with aid. UW meets about 74% of demonstrated need and averages a package near $22,538, while Oregon covers about 54% of need at roughly $17,082. The Duck Tuition Guarantee softens Oregon's higher sticker by locking each entering cohort's tuition and fees for five years. In-state, Oregon residents pay about $17,475 and Washington residents about $13,406.
Which is bigger, UW or University of Oregon?＋
On size, Washington dwarfs Oregon, enrolling about 40,996 undergraduates to Oregon's 20,710, roughly double. UW also holds onto and graduates more of them, posting a 95% first-year retention rate and an 85% six-year graduation rate against Oregon's 86% retention and 71% graduation. Oregon does run more residential, housing about 94% of first-years on campus versus roughly 70% at UW.
What's the campus and setting like at UW versus University of Oregon?＋
Seattle anchors the UW experience: a big-city campus where computing, the sciences, and engineering lead and most students move off campus after freshman year. Eugene keeps Oregon tighter as a college town, where about 94% of first-years live on campus and Greek life shows up more (about 19% of men in fraternities and 18% of women in sororities, against 6% and 13% at UW). UW gives you an urban research powerhouse where Oregon gives you a smaller, more residential community.
Source: University of Oregon Common Data Set 2025-2026. Figures transcribed 2026-06-07. Esslo aggregates publicly reported data and is not affiliated with Oregon. Banner photo by Rick Obst, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).
Source: University of Washington Common Data Set 2025-2026. Figures transcribed 2026-06-06. Esslo aggregates publicly reported data and is not affiliated with UW. Banner photo by Joe Mabel, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).