I prefer to start with that number. With all of them, actually. University of Puget Sound, in Tacoma, Washington, has a story that can be told with official data, without embellishment and without fear. We are going to tell the whole story: who studies there, what it costs, how hard it is to get in, and what happens after students enroll. In the end, you decide whether this piece fits your family’s puzzle.
What kind of school it is, in understandable terms
University of Puget Sound is a private, nonprofit, four-year institution. The federal system that classifies colleges and universities in the United States describes it as a bachelor’s college focused on arts and sciences: a small, highly residential school where at least half of undergraduates lived in housing owned by or affiliated with the institution, and where at least 80 out of every 100 attended full time. That is what “highly residential” means in official terminology: it is not a description of the atmosphere; it is a fact about where people sleep.
This matters because room and board almost never appear in the same figure as tuition in the attractive brochure. If your child will live there, ask for that cost separately, including the meal plan, before comparing this school with any other.
Geographically, it is in Tacoma, within Pierce County, and its location falls within the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metropolitan area. That does not mean the campus is in the heart of a major city. If your child plans to live at home, do not rely on the map: drive the route yourself on a weekday at the time of your child’s classes. The actual travel time is almost never what Google Maps promises.
As for academic level, the federal government records that the institution reports offering programs through the doctoral level and classifies it as a school primarily offering bachelor’s degrees or higher. That is a general institutional fact: it does not tell you whether the specific field that interests your child extends through graduate study or how one level connects with another. That is something to ask about by program, not for the school as a whole.
And one point worth clarifying at the outset: University of Puget Sound has none of these three federal designations. It is not a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 institutions in the national directory, 138 have at least one of the three. Not having one says nothing about which communities the university serves or how your child will feel there. Ask directly: what cultural centers exist today, which student organizations are active, and—if you can—talk with someone who already studies there.
Who makes up this community and how large it is
In the fall of 2023, University of Puget Sound reported that 10 out of every 100 undergraduates were Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority. Compared with the 941 selective private four-year schools reporting this data, the university ranks above the midpoint of the group but below the highest quartile.
To put it plainly: Latino students are few here. That does not remove the school from your list, but it does give you a specific assignment for your visit: ask what is available for Latino students, whether there is a student group or cultural center, or whether someone in the admissions office speaks Spanish.
Other facts about the student body: there are almost no adult students—2 out of every 100 are between the ages of 25 and 64—and there are more women than men, at 57 out of every 100. And one fact that often surprises families: fewer than 25 out of every 100 first-time students had permanent residence in Washington state. Most came from elsewhere—from other states or other countries—or their residency was not clearly reported. This figure does not measure actual distance or travel cost, but if your child would consider moving far away, it signals that many students here have already made that same journey.
As for size: the official fall count shows 1,914 enrolled students, including 1,632 undergraduates and 282 graduate students. It is a medium-sized school, within the range of 1,000 to 4,999 students, and compared with its selective private peers, it falls right in the middle: neither among the largest nor among the smallest.
Being large does not mean having more options. Being small does not mean more attention for your child. That kind of conclusion must be investigated within the specific program, not inferred from the institution’s overall size.
How the academic year is organized and how broadly the offerings are distributed
The calendar operates on semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The school reported accepting credit from AP exams, but it did not indicate that it awards credit for life experience. Saying that it accepts AP does not mean it grants credit for every exam or that the credit will count toward your child’s program. Ask for the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
In the most recently reported year, University of Puget Sound awarded 472 bachelor’s degrees across 19 program families. None accounted for a large share: social sciences was the largest, yet it still represented only 18 out of every 100 degrees awarded that year. The offerings are broad, without a single field dominating the landscape. But 19 active families do not mean 19 majors: each family groups several programs, and some rows may report no degrees. Verify the exact program that interests your child, using its full name.
The official ratio of students to instructional staff, with both measured in full-time equivalents, is 10 to 1. Compared with its 941 selective private peers, it ranks below the midpoint: it is a low aggregate ratio. But be careful—this does not tell you the size of first-year classes or how much attention your child will personally receive. It is an institutional figure, not a promise of small classes.
The institution also reports structured academic opportunities: study abroad, cocurricular undergraduate research, and teacher-certification preparation programs, including state approval for initial certification. If your child is interested in any of these paths, they are genuine starting points for further questions.
The entrance gate: what it requires, whom it admits, and who actually enrolls
This is where many families feel the most anxiety, so let us proceed carefully and use the exact figures.
University of Puget Sound does not have open admission. It reviews requirements before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations—not counting standardized tests or legacy status—it identifies five as required: the high school record, high school GPA, personal essay, letters of recommendation, and an English-proficiency exam when applicable to the applicant. It also considers—but does not require—the applicant’s course-selection plan, work experience, and whether a relative attended the university.
To put it directly: collecting paperwork is not enough at this university. The essay is required. Your child has to write, and write well.
The undergraduate application fee is $65.
As for legacy status: if no one in your family studied here, do not spend energy worrying about it. Spend that energy on what your child can control.
Now for the observed selectivity figures from the 2023 cycle: there were 5,548 first-time applicants, of whom 4,232 were offered admission. That is 76 out of every 100. It is an accessible admission rate, slightly above the midpoint among its 942 selective private peers. Your child has a real reason to apply and a real reason to prepare the complete application and submit it on time.
But here is a figure that is rarely seen and changes how the results should be read: out of every 100 admitted students, only 11 enrolled. That means that, out of every 9 young people who receive a yes from this school, roughly one ultimately comes here. Compared with its peers, this enrollment rate is on the low side: at seven out of ten similar schools, a larger share of admitted students enrolls.
Do not read this as a blemish. The fact that most admitted students did not enroll says nothing about the school’s quality; the record does not explain why each person made their choice. What it does tell you is this: what other people decided does not predict what you will be offered. Wait for your letter showing the net price—the actual amount your family would have to pay—before deciding whether this school stays on the list.
As for standardized tests, the SAT and ACT are not required. If your child submits them, they are considered; if not, the application remains valid. Of the students who enrolled, 29 out of every 100 submitted SAT scores, and among those students, the middle half scored between 615 and 710 in reading and writing and between 570 and 680 in mathematics. Those ranges describe students who enrolled and chose to submit scores, not all applicants. That 615 is not a minimum, and that 710 is not a guarantee.
And regarding transfers: among the bachelor’s-degree-seeking cohort that entered in 2017, 25 out of every 100 transferred to another school without completing here, within 150% of the normal time. It is a large share, and the report does not explain the reason for any of those cases. Separately, in the fall of 2023, 42 students entered this institution for the first time after studying elsewhere. It is worth remembering something almost no one sees: a student who transfers is not counted as a graduate of this school, even if the student completes a degree elsewhere. That matters later, when we discuss graduation rates.
The price: the number that really requires careful attention
At University of Puget Sound, among 32 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $28,409. Among 29 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $33,336; among 108 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $45,996. For dependent students, the income band combines their parents’ income with their own.
There is a difference of $17,587 between the average for the lowest-income band, which included 32 students, and the average for the highest-income band, which included 108 students. These are group averages, not a prediction of your family’s price. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $42,301.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same time coverage, University of Puget Sound falls within the most expensive quartile for the lowest-income families. That does not mean you should rule it out. It means you should request the aid letter before making a decision.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, correctly identifying yours comes first. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with grant aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The aid letter sent specifically to you is what matters.
The aid that arrives, and the aid that does not reach everyone equally
At University of Puget Sound, 98 out of every 100 degree-seeking students received some grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. Receiving something here is the norm, not the exception. Among recipients, the average for the year was $33,850. But it is only an average: the group includes people who received much more and people who received much less.
Here is a distinction many families confuse: Pell, the federal aid for low-income families, reached only 17 out of every 100 students. That means at least 81 out of every 100 received non-Pell aid from another source—the school, the state, or somewhere else. The report does not separate the source of each award, so you cannot infer from this what your child would receive. Ask directly: who provides that aid, who qualifies, and what is required to renew it each year.
And regarding loans: 43 out of every 100 undergraduates received a federal student loan during the 2022-23 academic year. That is more than two out of ten, but less than half. Compared with its selective peers, this share is on the low side. Among those who did borrow, the average amount per borrower that year was $6,254. That figure does not include parent PLUS loans, bank debt, or credit-card debt, nor is it the total debt someone carries upon graduation.
Some young people here went through the year without debt, while others borrowed. This percentage does not decide which group your child will be in. The financial-aid letter received in writing does, and you should wait for that letter before committing to the school.
The institution also reports offering an installment tuition-payment plan and participating in a Promise program, options worth asking about by their exact names at the financial-aid office.
Campus life: housing, athletics, the library, and support services
University of Puget Sound has its own housing and does not require all first-time, full-time students to live there—although that does not rule out a requirement for a particular program. It also offers meal plans, with the number of meals varying by plan. IPEDS reports a maximum housing capacity of 1,635 students. The existence of housing does not guarantee that a bed will be available for your child: request the annual rate, the housing-application deadline, and whether space is guaranteed or there is a waiting list, all in writing.
As for ROTC, the school indicated that an opportunity is available, and the only branch confirmed in writing is the Army. Navy and Air Force are not marked. Not confirmed does not mean impossible; it means you should ask directly if your child is interested.
Regarding athletics, University of Puget Sound competes in intercollegiate sports and is affiliated with the NCAA. The report does not specify which sports it offers, the division in which each competes, or whether it offers athletic scholarships. The institution does confirm NCAA or NAIA membership for football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. If your child wants to continue competing, write directly to the coach for that sport and request a written response.
As for distance learning, the school offers distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, but in the fall count, 0 out of every 100 undergraduates took their entire course load through distance education. All took at least one in-person class. The institution also reported that it does not offer a complete undergraduate program that can be taken entirely at a distance. If this is relevant to your family, confirm it in writing for the specific program.
The library operates with paid staff, its annual spending exceeds the government’s reporting threshold of $100,000, it has physical and digital collections, and it participates in interlibrary lending. Exceeding that threshold does not guarantee the availability of specialized databases for your child’s field: ask using the program’s name.
Finally, the institution reports combined academic and career counseling services, employment services for current students, placement services for graduates, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program for veterans, a dedicated point of contact for veterans and military families, and a web address for disability services.
What happens after students enroll: retention, graduation, and the long term
This is perhaps the most important part of the entire article, because this is where the numbers begin to show whether students stay and whether they finish.
Of the cohort that entered in the fall of 2022—404 first-time, full-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking students—325 met the official retention criterion: they were still enrolled here or had already completed a bachelor’s degree one year later. That is 80 out of every 100. Compared with 930 selective private schools, University of Puget Sound ranks slightly above the midpoint of the group. The other 20% fell outside that official outcome, and the source does not reveal what happened to them: we do not know whether they went to another school or stopped studying altogether.
As for graduation, IPEDS followed 589 first-time, full-time students who began bachelor’s-degree programs in 2017. After six years, 400 had graduated here. That is 68 out of every 100. Using a four-year timeframe, the figure falls to 60 out of every 100—a difference of 8 points between allowing two additional years and not allowing them. Compared with 920 similar schools, this rate is above the group median.
It is worth examining the complete breakdown of those 589 students because it tells a richer story than a single percentage:
| Outcome after six years | Student count |
|---|---|
| Graduated here | 400 |
| Transferred without completing here | 145 |
| Still enrolled without completing | 2 |
| No longer enrolled (no further detail) | 42 |
Remember: a student who transfers is not counted as a graduate of this school, even if the student completes a degree elsewhere. And “no longer enrolled” does not state the reason—it may include people who graduated after the cutoff.
Finally, a long-range figure: IPEDS followed a cohort of 721 students who entered between July 2015 and June 2016, combining first-time students and those with prior college experience, as well as full-time and part-time students. At the eight-year cutoff, 73 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this institution. Among students who specifically received a Pell Grant, the figure was 66 out of every 100—nine points below the group that did not receive Pell. Compared with 935 similar schools, this eight-year rate falls within the highest quartile of the group.
If your family would qualify for Pell, it is worth asking specifically what is available for those students: an assigned counselor, emergency aid, and whether the institutional scholarship is renewed each year. And ask for the answer in writing.
What each person is responsible for
You now have the map for one part of the journey.
None of these numbers makes the decision for you. Your child is responsible for writing that essay, deciding whether this school is genuinely appealing, and building the profile that leads to an admission letter. The university is responsible for making an admission decision, offering aid, and answering your questions in writing. You are responsible for the money, the calendar, the FAFSA, and keeping the conversation going at home without carrying it alone.
You now know one of the pieces of this decision in detail. Combine it with what your child wants to study, what your child has built so far, and what your family can and is willing to pay. A realistic plan comes from that combination, not from a single number.
Source note: the information in this article comes from official data reported by University of Puget Sound to the U.S. Department of Education’s IPEDS system, primarily corresponding to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent University of Puget Sound or any government agency; this article organizes and explains public data to help families understand it.