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Freshman Admission

Once you are familiar with the UO's admission requirements and process, it's time to jump in the ring and apply online. Can't locate the information you need on our website? Contact us!

1. Apply for Admission

The application for undergraduate admission is available online, including methods of paying the nonrefundable $50 application fee. Your application will be evaluated based on:

  • strength of academic course work
  • grades earned
  • grade trend
  • class rank
  • standardized test scores
  • senior-year course load
  • motivation as demonstrated in the application essay
  • extracurricular activities including community service and the need to work to assist your family
  • ability to enhance the diversity of the university
  • academic potential
  • special talents

Extracurricular activities will not compensate for low grades or weak course schedules. We offer tentative admission based on your sixth or seventh semester transcripts and your planned senior schedule. Final admission is granted only after we have received transcripts verifying successful completion of all admission requirements and your graduation.

2. Meet the Standard Admission Requirements

A. Graduate from a standard or accredited high school.

You can review the list of regional accreditors on our website.

B. Earn a C– or better in fifteen college preparatory courses.

  • English—four years. All four years should be in preparatory composition and literature with emphasis on and frequent practice in writing expository prose.
  • Mathematics—three years. Must include first-year algebra and two additional years of college-preparatory mathematics. An advanced mathematics course is highly recommended in your senior year. Algebra and geometry taken prior to ninth grade are acceptable. Regardless of the pattern of mathematics courses or the number of years of mathematics taken, the mathematics course work must include Algebra II (or equivalent) or higher.
  • Science—three years. Must include a year each in two fields of college-preparatory science such as biology, chemistry, physics, or earth and physical science. One year of laboratory science is recommended.
  • Social Studies—three years. Complete three years of social studies from such areas as global studies, history, or social studies electives.
  • Second language—two years. The UO offers several options for meeting the second-language requirement.

C. Earn a high school GPA of at least 3.00 on a 4.00 scale.

If your cumulative high school GPA is below 3.00 on a 4.00 scale, review information on alternative admission.

D. Submit your official high school transcripts.

To verify that you've met the above requirements, we need your official high school transcripts showing courses through at least the end of eleventh grade. Upon graduation, you will be required to submit a final transcript confirming graduation and showing all academic course work.

E. Submit SAT or ACT scores.

We accept SAT Reasoning Test or ACT (with the optional writing component) scores reported on official high school transcripts, reported by the high school counselor on the paper application for admission, or sent to us directly from the testing service. If you plan to participate in intercollegiate athletics, however, we must receive your scores from the testing service.

When you take the test, list the UO as one of your score recipients. Our school code number for the SAT Reasoning Test is 4846; our code for the ACT is 3498.

F. Submit an application essay.

The UO is interested in learning more about you. Write an essay, of 500 words or less, that shares information that we cannot find elsewhere on your application. Any topic you choose is welcome. Some ideas you might consider include your future ambitions and goals, a special talent or unusual interest that sets you apart from your peers, or a significant experience that influenced your life. If you are applying to the UO's Robert D. Clark Honors College, feel free to resubmit your honors college application essay.

G. Explain personal circumstances (optional).

Advise us early in the admission process of any personal circumstances that affected your academic performance, especially if you do not meet one or more of the admission requirements. Include a statement with your application describing any personal challenges you’ve overcome and explain their impact on your education. Details of any serious illness, diagnosed disability, personal difficulties, or family circumstances that have affected your education are encouraged. Maximum statement length is 500 words. This statement is not required.

Alternative Admission

If you do not meet one or more of the standard admission requirements, review the options for alternative admission, including information for homeschooled students, students from nonaccredited high schools, and students who earned a GED.

3. Apply for Financial Aid and Scholarships

More than 65 percent of UO students receive financial aid, scholarships, or both. File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online and list the University of Oregon (school code 003223) so we'll receive your information. Submit the FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1 to meet the UO’s priority deadline of March 1.

In April of your senior year we’ll send you a detailed financial aid offer that shows how you can pay for school with your personal assets, part-time work, loans, grants, and scholarships.

We award merit-based scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $14,000. Apply by January 15 for all scholarships for which you qualify. Selection is competitive. Your application for admission will serve as your application for scholarships for most UO awards. Presidential Scholarships and Diversity Excellence Scholarships require supplemental applications.

Up-to-date scholarship information, criteria, and award amounts are available on the website of the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships.

4. Visit the UO

The best way to decide if the UO is right for you is to check it out yourself. A visit to the UO campus is not required for admission, but we encourage you to schedule a day and time for a campus tour and information session, or attend a special visit event like Duck Preview in the fall or Duck Days in the spring. The UO also offers special visit events for first-generation, ethnically diverse, or economically disadvantaged high school students.

Explore our beautiful grounds with the help of campus maps and Foursquare. If you're not able to visit us in Eugene or Portland, try the next best thing and take an online virtual tour.

5. Consider Your Honors Options

The UO fosters a community of top scholars pursuing knowledge and achievement, conducting original research, and applying new ideas to real-world issues. Options include:

6. Apply for Housing

Applying for University Housing is different for 2012-13 than in past years. As soon as you are admitted to the UO (and not before) you'll be able to apply for housing and sign your housing contract online. Space is limited, so apply as soon as possible.

Living on campus is not required, but we highly recommend it. Living on campus is more convenient than living off campus. Plus you’ll get academic engagement, a community designed to meet your needs as a student, and hundreds of peers, some of whom will likely become your lifelong friends. In fact, research shows that students who live on campus as freshmen achieve higher GPAs than those who don’t.

7. Register for Orientation and Your First UO Courses

In the spring, after you’ve been admitted to the UO and paid your deposit, you’ll receive an invitation to register online for IntroDUCKtion and select your first UO classes.

IntroDUCKtion: Two-day student and family IntroDUCKtion sessions allow you to get to know the campus, meet other students, talk with faculty advisers, and register for your fall term courses. IntroDUCKtion sessions are held in July.

First-Year Programs: One way to get a solid start your first term, fulfill general education requirements, and explore a possible major is to enroll
in a freshman interest group (FIG). In a FIG, you’ll take a college connections seminar limited to 25 students and two general education courses linked by a theme that interests you. One-third of our FIGs are residential. In those, you live close (but not too close) to the other students in your FIG.

8. Meet Important Deadlines

Applying to college can be confusing, especially considering all the dates and deadlines to remember. Use our online freshman timeline to keep track of your progress through the application process. The most important deadline to remember is January 15, the date by which your application for admission is due.

9. Be a Duck!

Welcome to the flock! Now it's time to choose a major and explore student life options on campus. Or maybe you'd like to explore Eugene, the classic college town.