What a friend would tell you
What L&C is looking for
Lewis & Clark wants students drawn to Portland, the Pacific Northwest, and environmental engagement. Connect your interests to the school's overseas and environmental studies programs (L&C sends a higher percentage of students abroad than almost any LAC). Show that you're outdoorsy, globally minded, and progressive. Naming specific programs or faculty research strengthens your case considerably.
What students wish they'd known
Portland's grey, rainy winters (October through April) are not for everyone, and seasonal depression is a common complaint. The hilltop campus is beautiful but isolated from Portland's attractions without a car or bus. The student body leans heavily progressive, and students with moderate or conservative views may feel out of place. Career services and alumni networks are weaker than peer LACs, especially outside the Pacific Northwest.
L&C might be a fit if...
- You want a liberal arts college where environmentalism, study abroad, and Portland's culture are integrated into your education
- You thrive in rainy, forested settings and find the Pacific Northwest lifestyle appealing
- You're globally minded and want a school that sends a huge percentage of students overseas
L&C Admissions Strategy
1.3x
Early Decision Advantage
Early Decision admits at 1.3x the RD rate. The trade: ED is binding. Apply only if you'd say yes on the spot.
Early Decision: the numbers
L&C's Early Decision acceptance rate is 79.5% vs 71% overall. ED is binding. If you are admitted, you are committing to enroll. This signals strong commitment and gives a meaningful admissions advantage.
Deadlines: ED November 1 · RD January 15
Deadlines: ED November 1 · RD January 15
Test Policy
Test-free (scores not considered)
Scores are not considered at all; submitting them does nothing. Grades, course rigor, and essays carry the full weight here.
Demonstrated Interest
Not Tracked
Not tracked. Skip the info-session circuit and put those hours into the application itself.
Interview
Recommended
Yield Rate
40%
40% of admits enroll, which is typical for a selective school. Waitlists here move every year.
Want the strongest possible application to L&C, plus better odds and merit offers everywhere else you apply?
Join the free one-hour workshop from two Harvard grads who have helped 3,000+ students get in. Parents welcome.
Cost & Financial Aid at L&C
$64,000
Sticker Price
$24,000
Avg Merit Aid
Need-aware admissions. Meets 100% of demonstrated need. 86% receive financial aid.
For context: L&C spends about $17,500 per student per year on instruction and student resources, right around the $15K national average.
What L&C Graduates Get
$45,000
Avg Starting Salary
93%
Employed or in Grad School
63%
Graduate in 4 Years
The 4-year number is the on-time rate; the 6-year rate (75%) is the one schools usually advertise. A wide gap means many students pay for extra semesters.
L&C Campus & Culture
The Campus
Lewis & Clark's 137-acre campus perches on a forested hilltop in Portland's southwest residential neighborhoods, six miles from downtown. The Frank Manor House, a 1920s English Tudor estate, anchors the upper campus. Fir trees, rhododendrons, and Pacific Northwest greenery surround modern academic buildings and the Aubrey Watzek Library. The campus feels like a nature preserve that happens to have classrooms. Portland's food carts, bookstores, and neighborhoods are a short bus ride downhill.
The Social Scene
Portland directly adjacent, vibrant arts and food culture, outdoor access
L&C Traditions & Trivia
College Outdoors Trips
Roughly 90 percent of Lewis and Clark students go on at least one College Outdoors trip, paddling rivers or backpacking Oregon volcanoes, and new students are invited before classes even start so the wilderness is their first campus memory.
Invented Sports
Instead of Greek life, students have created their own intramural games, including Ninja and Wolvetch, which are played almost nowhere else on earth.
Academics at L&C
What L&C is known for
Environmental studies, study abroad, Portland location
Most popular majors at L&C
Standout programs
Environmental science, international studies, psychology, biology
How the curriculum works
Liberal arts core with major specialization
Recommended high school courses
4 English, 3 Math, 3 Science, 3 Social Studies, 2 Foreign Language
Notable L&C Alumni
Monica Lewinsky
Activist and public speaker, Lewis & Clark psychology degree, class of 1995
Earl Blumenauer
U.S. Congressman from Oregon, Lewis & Clark Law School
Liz Phair
Indie rock musician, attended Lewis & Clark
Adam Rothenberg
Actor (Ripper Street), Lewis & Clark graduate
Mary Szybist
National Book Award-winning poet, Lewis & Clark professor and alumna connection
If you like L&C, also consider
Reed College
Portland peer with fiercer academic intensity and quirky culture
Whitman College
Pacific Northwest LAC in Walla Walla with outdoor focus
University of Puget Sound
similar PNW LAC in Tacoma with comparable vibe
Oberlin College
progressive LAC with arts focus, Midwest location
Macalester College
urban LAC with global focus in Minneapolis