Willamette University is a selective liberal arts university that accepts less than half of all applicants. To get in, you'll most likely need high school grades and standardized test scores that are significantly above average. In the scattergram above, the blue and green dots represent accepted students. You can see that the majority of successful applicants had high school GPAs above 3.0, combined SAT scores of 1700 or higher, and ACT composite scores of 24 or better. Many accepted students had solid "A" averages.
Good grades and test scores alone, however, do not guarantee you an acceptance letter. You'll notice some red dots (rejected students) and yellow dots (waitlisted students) interspersed with the green and blue in the middle of the graph. A fair number of applicants had grades and test scores that were on target for Willamette University yet were not admitted. Note that the opposite is also true -- some students were accepted with test scores and grades a little bit below the norm. This is because Willamette's admissions process is qualitative as well as quantitative. The university uses the Common Application and has holistic admissions. The admissions folks will be looking at the rigor of your high school courses, not just your grades. Also, they will be looking for a winning essay, interesting extracurricular activities, an engaging short answer, and strong letters of recommendation. Finally, Willamette recommends that applicants visit campus and interview with a member of the Admission Committee -- this is a great way to get to know the school better and demonstrate interest in Willamette.
To learn more about Willamette University, high school GPAs, SAT scores and ACT scores, these articles can help:
- Willamette University Admissions Profile
- What's a Good SAT Score?
- What's a Good ACT Score?
- What's Considered a Good Academic Record?
- What is a Weighted GPA?
- Articles Featuring Willamette University:
