About the University

About University of Puget Sound

Established in 1888, University of Puget Sound is a 1,900-student independent residential national liberal arts college, with five specialized graduate programs, located in Tacoma, Washington. Graduates include Rhodes and Fulbright scholars, notables in the arts and culture, entrepreneurs and elected officials, and leaders in business and finance locally and throughout the world. A low student-faculty ratio provides Puget Sound students with personal attention from a faculty with a strong commitment to teaching in more than 50 traditional and interdisciplinary areas of study.

The university’s primary goal is to provide an outstanding liberal arts education that prepares students for creative and useful lives. The undergraduate academic program is based on a core curriculum for all students and includes a wide selection of majors in the liberal arts. The university also provides distinctive graduate programs in education, counseling, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and public health.

Puget Sound is the only nationally ranked independent undergraduate liberal arts college in Western Washington, and one of just five independent colleges in the Pacific Northwest granted a charter by Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society. The college maintains a relationship with The United Methodist Church based on shared history and values held in common, including the importance of access to a high-quality education, academic freedom, social justice, environmental stewardship, and global focus. Puget Sound is governed today by a wholly independent board of trustees, and maintains its status as a church-related and affiliated institution in accordance with the criteria established by the Church’s University Senate.