Profile: Reed College

Reed College was founded in 1908 in Portland, Oregon, as an independent, coeducational, nonsectarian college of the liberal arts and sciences. Reed provides one of the nation’s most intellectually rigorous undergraduate experiences, with a highly structured academic program balancing broad distribution requirements and in-depth study in a chosen academic discipline. Social life at Reed consists of a wide variety of on- and off-campus opportunities for diversion, including art, music, theatre, lectures, movies, and sports. The list of activities and organizations is long and constantly growing—with every activity open to all.

People

• Approximately 1,400 students
• 55% women, 45% men
• 25% minority enrollment
• 135 faculty members

Academics

• 10:1 student faculty ratio
• Conference-style interactive teaching method with small classes (average of 15 students)
• 22 departmental and 12 interdisciplinary majors in the arts, sciences, humanities, and social sciences
• Humanities course taken by all first-year students
• Junior qualifying exam in major field
• All students write a substantial and challenging senior thesis
• Opportunities for dual degree and study abroad programs, as well as internships and career advising

Distinctions

• Reed College ranks in the top three of all U.S. colleges and universities for the percentage of graduates who earn Ph.D.s in all fields.
• In the life sciences, Reed produces more Ph.D.s than any other institution of higher learning.
• Students regularly win Fulbright, Watson, National Science Foundation, and other fellowships. Recently, a Reed senior won a coveted Churchill Scholarship for study of theoretical physics at Cambridge University.
• Reed has produced 31 Rhodes scholars, second only to one other liberal arts college
• The faculty has received national recognition for commitment to teaching