Pac 12 Conference

Learn About the 12 Universities in the NCAA Pac-12 Conference

By
Allen Grove
Allen Grove
College Admissions Expert
  • Ph.D., English, University of Pennsylvania
  • M.A., English, University of Pennsylvania
  • B.S., Materials Science & Engineering and Literature, MIT
Dr. Allen Grove is an Alfred University English professor and a college admissions expert with over 20 years of experience helping students transition to college.
Learn about our Editorial Process
Updated on December 31, 2017

Spread out along the entire West Coast, the members of the Pac 12 Conference represent a huge range of universities. From Stanford with an acceptance rate around 10% to Arizona State and Oregon State with acceptance rates around 90%, there's a school here to match most students' high school records

01
of 12

Arizona (University of Arizona at Tucson)

University of Arizona
University of Arizona. Aaron Jacobs / Flickr

The University of Arizona is one of the country's strong research centers with academic strengths stretching from engineering to photography. Be sure to visit "Old Main," the campus's first building, for a glimpse at the Old West.

02
of 12

Arizona State University at Tempe

Arizona State University
Arizona State University. kevindooley / Flickr

Arizona State University has a high acceptance rate, making it accessible to many students. Several of the university's pre-professional programs are the most popular among undergraduates -- Business, Finance, Marketing, Communication Studies and Journalism. ASU is one of the largest universities in the country.

03
of 12

Berkeley (University of California at Berkeley)

UC Berkeley Campus
UC Berkeley Campus. hsivonen / Flickr

Berkeley is a true academic powerhouse, and it consistently ranks among the top public universities, often in the #1 spot. It's also about the toughest public university in the country to get into, with an acceptance rate under 25%.

04
of 12

Colorado (University of Colorado at Boulder)

University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder. Aidan M. Gray / Flickr

The flagship campus of Colorado's university system, CU Boulder features high-level research that has earned it membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities.

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05
of 12

Oregon (University of Oregon at Eugene)

University of Oregon
University of Oregon. drcorneilus / Flickr

The University of Oregon is usually considered a little more liberal and a little less pre-professional than their big rival, Oregon State University. The University of Oregon has an excellent creative writing program, but their undergraduate programs in business shouldn't be underrated.

06
of 12

Oregon State University at Corvallis

Oregon State University
Oregon State University. saml123 / Flickr

Only Cornell University matches Oregon State University for holding the quadruple designation of a land-grand, sea-grant, space-grant and sun-grant institution. And with a relatively high acceptance rate, Oregon State's great research faculty is accessible to most students.

07
of 12

Stanford University

Stanford University
Stanford University. soapbeard / Flickr

Stanford University typical sits near the top of rankings of the top universities and top engineering schools, keeping company with the likes of Harvard and M.I.T. You'll need a stellar high school record to get in.

08
of 12

UCLA (University of California at Los Angeles)

UCLA Royce Hall
UCLA Royce Hall. _gene_ / flickr

UCLA, like Berkeley, ranks as one of the top public universities in the country. With an acceptance rate around 25%, you'd better have a strong high school record if you want to get in. Located just a few miles from downtown LA and the Pacific Ocean, UCLA sits on a prime piece of real estate in Southern California.

09
of 12

University of Southern California

USC Football
USC Football. Trent Bigelow / Flickr

USC and Stanford are the two private universities in the Pac 12 Conference, so you can expect a significantly higher price tag than the other schools on this list. USC ranks well among national universities. Business is the most popular undergraduate major. The university is located just southwest of downtown Los Angeles.

  • Location: Los Angeles, California
  • School type: private
  • Enrollment: 43,871 (18,794 undergraduates)
  • Team: Trojans
  • Explore the campus: USC photo tour
  • GPA, SAT and ACT Graph for USC
  • For admissions and financial data, see the USC profile.
10
of 12

University of Utah

University of Utah Mascot Swoop
University of Utah Mascot Swoop. HeffTech / Flickr

The University of Utah draws students from all 50 states and over 100 countries, and the tuition for both in-state and out-of-state students is lower than the majority of public universities. For its strength in the liberal arts and sciences, the University of Utah was awarded a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

11
of 12

Washington (University of Washington at Seattle)

University of Washington
University of Washington. Ken Lund / Flickr

The University of Washington's attractive campus looks off to Portage and Union Bays in one direction and Mount Rainier in another. With over 40,000 students, Washington is the largest university on the West Coast.

12
of 12

Washington State University

Washington State University Thompson Hall
Washington State University Thompson Hall. Thecougarman07 / Wikimedia Commons

Located on the eastern side of the state, Washington State University is much closer to the University of Idaho than their rival, the University of Washington. With more than 200 areas of study, Washington State has something of interest to nearly everyone.

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Your Citation
Grove, Allen. "Pac 12 Conference." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/pac-12-conference-schools-787009. Grove, Allen. (2023, April 5). Pac 12 Conference. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/pac-12-conference-schools-787009 Grove, Allen. "Pac 12 Conference." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/pac-12-conference-schools-787009 (accessed April 20, 2024).