Make a difference in the world and the lives of others.
We encourage students to expand their worldviews, engage in civil discourse, reflect on their experiences, and create a better world. It’s no surprise to find, then, that so many alumni don’t just take the road less traveled—they forge an entirely new path.
Puget Sound graduates are consistently among the leading recipients of Watson and Fulbright scholarships, national fellowships, and Peace Corps assignments, as well as successful entrepreneurs, inventors, investors, artists, scientists, and civic leaders. Our alumni work in communities around the world and are eager to connect you to internships, postgraduate opportunities, and more.
Students engage in learning experiences at Puget Sound that develop their intellect and creativity, connect them to the community, and propel them to post-graduate achievement. Puget Sound is the only national independent liberal arts college in Western Washington, and one of just five independent colleges in the Northwest granted a charter by Phi Beta Kappa.
In national surveys, Puget Sound seniors report that the university emphasizes academic work, that they study, read, and write more than students at peer institutions, and that they engage in critical thinking and analysis in their classes more than students at other institutions. Puget Sound students also rate their quality of interactions on campus higher than students at peer institutions (National Survey of Student Engagement, 2020).
While at the university, approximately 40 percent of students participate in community service. Many students also study abroad, including some who participate in the one-of-a-kind PacRim Program that develops intercultural competence in students during a semester-long study abroad experience throughout Asia.
Students are well-prepared for post-graduate success. Placement rates for law and medical school are approximately 80%, well above the national average. Students have received prestigious postgraduate awards, including the Rhodes, Boren, Marshall, and Watson fellowships. In addition, Puget Sound is ranked in the top 7 percent of baccalaureate-granting institutions nationwide whose graduates go on to earn doctorates. Among national colleges with fewer than 5,000 undergraduate students, Puget Sound consistently ranks among the top five in the number of alumni serving in the Peace Corps. As of the most recent survey in 2024, 86% of graduates are employed, continuing their education, or engaged in public service seven months after graduation.
