University Fact Sheet

Facts at a Glance

Founded in 1888, Puget Sound is an independent, residential, national liberal arts college with approximately 2,450 undergraduate and 150 graduate students. Students choose from more than 1,200 courses and enjoy a student-faculty ratio of 10.7: 1.

In Fall 2006, Puget Sound was recognized by The Chronicle of Higher Education as one of the top 10 bachelor's degree institutions in the United States with the highest number of Fulbright scholars. Puget Sound students are frequent recipients of national academic honors, including Fulbright Fellowships, Watson Fellowships, and more.

Seventy-five percent of Puget Sound students are from out of state; 47 states and territories and 13 foreign countries are currently represented on campus.

Puget Sound is the only nationally-ranked undergraduate liberal arts college in Western Washington.

Princeton Review’s The Best 345 Colleges places Puget Sound among the nation’s top liberal arts colleges, and gives Puget Sound a four-star academic rating.

U.S. News and World Report ranks Puget Sound among the 100 top liberal arts colleges nationally.

Puget Sound is one of only two independent colleges in Washington state and one of five in the Northwest granted a charter by Phi Beta Kappa, the country’s most prestigious academic honorary society.

More than 80 percent of Puget Sound graduates who apply to medical and dental schools are accepted--nearly twice the average national acceptance rate.

Puget Sound has a conservatory-quality School of Music, and is the only national liberal arts college in the Northwest to offer a full symphony orchestra, concert band, jazz band, and comprehensive choral and opera program.

Among national colleges with less than 5,000 undergraduate students, Puget Sound consistently ranks among the top five in the number of alumni serving in the Peace Corps. In addition, more than 75 percent of students participate in community service, among the highest participation rates in the country.

In 2006 Puget Sound was ranked 11th of leading Carnegie baccalaureate institutions in the nation in the number of students sent on full-year study abroad programs, and 19th of institutions sending students on semester programs.

The graduation rate of Puget Sound freshman is nearly 20 percent above the national average.

Yahoo Internet Life ranks Puget Sound one of the 100 most-wired colleges in the nation, and Intel ranks Puget Sound high in its list of wireless campuses.

In 2006 University of Puget Sound was recognized as one of the 20 Best Campuses for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) students in the nation, according to a new guide released by Campus PrideNet.

For more information on University of Puget Sound, see About Puget Sound.