Frequently Asked Questions
While much of this information may apply to transfer students and international students, this FAQ mainly applies to first-year students applying as U.S. citizens.
Application Plans
We offer both Early Decision, a binding early application plan, and Early Action, a non-binding early application plan.
Early Decision (ED): The Early Decision plan is for first-year applicants who consider Lewis & Clark their first choice college. The application deadline for Early Decision is November 1, and applicants will be notified of their decision by December 15. This decision plan is binding, and if you are accepted under Early Decision, you agree to attend Lewis & Clark and withdraw all other applications. Applicants may apply Early Decision to only one school.
Early Action (EA): The application deadline for Early Action is November 1, and applicants will be notified of their decisions by January 1. Early Action applicants must then reply to us with their decisions about whether or not to enroll at L&C by our deadline of May 1. The Early Action plan does not restrict applications to other colleges, and does not require the applicant to enroll at L&C if admitted.
If Lewis & Clark is the college that is clearly the best fit for you, there is no better way to indicate to us that L&C is your top choice than by applying Early Decision. Your college selection process may be completed months before many of your peers if you apply under Early Decision. Since the application is binding, if admitted, your selection is made and you can look forward to becoming a Pioneer while focusing on finishing your high school career.
The main advantage to applying under our non-binding Early Action plan is timing. Since you get your materials to us earlier (November 1) we are able to get a decision letter to you earlier (by January 1). The admissions committee will look for all the same criteria that we look for in the Regular Decision timeframe (see what are we looking for), so a student is not necessarily more likely to be admitted if they apply Early Action.
Keep in mind that there is one important difference between the early application plans and Regular Decision: under Early Decision and Early Action, we require grades through the end of junior year, along with an accurate list of senior year courses. Some Early Decision and Early Action applicants provide first quarter or trimester reports as well. Under Regular Decision, we require that you submit the first set of grades from your senior year. If it is important to you that the admissions committee reviews your senior grades, you may wish to apply Regular Decision. Finally, the Early Decision and Early Action plans are not appropriate for students who will be relying on the November SAT/ACT or later test dates to complete their files.
If the admissions committee feels that an Early Decision or Early Action applicant should be reconsidered among the Regular Decision pool, the applicant will be notified that his or her application has been deferred to Regular Decision. If you are denied admission for Early Decision or Early Action, your application will not be reconsidered under the Regular Decision timeframe. In this case, we recommend pursuing post-high school education at another institution to strengthen your academic record. If you really want to attend Lewis & Clark, you may re-apply as a transfer student after at least one year at another college.
Application Fee
There is no fee to apply to Lewis & Clark.
Deadlines
Once your file is complete, official admissions notifications will be posted online to your L&C Portal, and admissions packets will also be sent to you via regular mail. Early Decision letters will be mailed by December 15; Early Action decision letters will be mailed by January 1; Regular Decision letters will be mailed by April 1. In order to protect our applicants’ privacy, we do not share admissions decisions over the phone. Please do not contact our office and ask for a decision, unless it is more than ten days past the notification date and you still have not received your decision. Students completing their files late are not guaranteed a decision by the notification date.
You should strive to submit your materials by the application deadline. Late applications may be accepted at the discretion of the Admissions Office. If you are interested in applying after the January 15 deadline, contact the Admissions Office and speak with an admissions counselor about your options.
Please note: students whose applications are received after the deadline may not receive their admissions decisions until after April 1. Financial aid notification may also be delayed and funds may be limited.
Our application deadlines are postmark deadlines. Ideally, all documents (including the application forms, transcript, test scores, evaluations, etc.) should be postmarked by November 1 (Early Decision and Early Action) or January 15 (Regular Decision). Please notify your teachers and counselors of the appropriate postmark deadline for your application.
Forms
It is not necessary for your teacher to use the Common Application Teacher Evaluation form. However, if your teacher will not be using the form, he/she should submit the evaluation on school letterhead, clearly print your full name on the top of the letter, and indicate the course(s) and grade level(s) in which he/she taught you.
The required teacher evaluation must be from a teacher who has taught you in an academic core subject (English, mathematics, history and social studies, science, or foreign language) during 10th-12th grade. We will gladly accept additional recommendations, should you wish to submit more than the required evaluation.
We do not require a letter of recommendation from a counselor, only the Secondary School Report form.
However, it is in your best interest for you to get to know your guidance counselor. Beyond completing required college application forms, you may find that your counselor can also provide excellent guidance throughout your entire college search process. If it’s just not possible for you to get to know your counselor (and we certainly understand that situation may arise if you attend a large school) or if you have a new counselor at your school, you should (at minimum) have your current counselor fill in the blanks of the Secondary School Report form. That form provides vital information we need in order to complete your record at the college. You may have another high school administrator or former counselor provide a letter of recommendation addressing your preparedness for college, your high school performance in relation to the rest of your senior class, and other pertinent information. We will only accept such an evaluation in addition to the Secondary School Report form completed by your current high school counselor.
While applicants submit their Common Application online, supporting materials for applications may be submitted by school officials via Common App, email to admissions@lclark.edu, electronic delivery service, or hard-copy by mail. If you have questions about the Common Application’s supplemental materials delivery system, the Help Center should provide the answer.
Please note: transcripts and letters of recommendation submitted by the student are considered unofficial documents and will not fulfill admissions requirements.
To ensure that your materials will be postmarked by the application deadline, be sure to give counselors and teachers plenty of advance notice when asking for evaluation letters. If your counselor or teacher is unable to submit the required documents by the deadline, contact the Admissions Office and let us know when these documents will be available.
Be sure to follow up with your teacher and/or counselor to make sure the materials were sent. Late materials can be emailed to the Admissions Office at admissions@lclark.edu. Once you’ve submitted your Common Application, you may also check your L&C Portal to see which materials have been received.
Tests
Lewis & Clark College adopted its first test-optional admission policy in 1991. As a leader in the test-optional movement, we’ve continued to refine our admission testing policy.
As a result, starting with the fall 2025 entering class of undergraduate students, Lewis & Clark College will adopt a test-free admission policy. We will not ask applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores, nor will we review them as part of our holistic review of a student’s application for undergraduate admission.
The short answer is no. Our financial aid awards (need-based aid, academic merit-based scholarships, and talent scholarships) are made to admitted students only. The federal formula for determining your eligibility for need-based financial assistance is complicated and considers many factors such as family size and assets, in addition to income. Academic merit-based scholarships also depend on many factors beyond grade point averages, including curriculum rigor, writing skills, teacher evaluations, and other academic factors, including the academic profile of the rest of the applicant pool. Music and Forensics talent awards have their own application processes, too. All of these factors mean that it takes time for us to carefully assemble financial aid packages, and we aren’t able to do it for students who haven’t yet been admitted to the college.
You are wise to consider college cost and finances early in your college search, but remember that it is difficult to predict the actual cost of attending any college without completing the entire financial aid application process. While it can be frustrating to wait for a financial aid award, the timing of the process ensures that many factors – from the strength of the overall applicant pool, to the upcoming year’s tuition, to federal financial aid guidelines – can be considered in order to make accurate and timely awards.
Be patient. Make sure your FAFSA and Common Application materials are submitted on time and you should have financial aid notification in hand well before the June 1 reply date. 96% of Lewis & Clark students receive some form of financial assistance, so financial aid is a significant factor in most of our students’ decisions to attend the college. We encourage you to file the FAFSA to see what your eligibility might be. For more details about all forms of financial aid at L&C, go to the Financial Aid website.
Interviews
Interviews are recommended, but not required. Schedule your Virtual Interview online here, or email your Admissions Counselor for more interview availability.
Other
The admissions committee gives all applicants a comprehensive review before making an admissions decision. This is why we ask for a number of credentials to complete your application. The main priority of the committee is to make sure that the applicant is able to meet the college’s academic challenge and the expectations of our faculty.
While all credentials will be carefully reviewed, an applicant’s transcript is most beneficial in providing evidence of a student’s academic potential to thrive at Lewis & Clark. The committee examines course selection, curricular rigor, grade trends, and other academic factors reflected on the transcript.
Teacher and counselor evaluations, SAT and/or ACT scores (if submitted), the essay, and the actual application form reveal other dimensions of an applicant and are also important in the application process.
Non-academic activities are considered as well, since we need students who will play a role in our small, residential community, but these factors are only considered if a student is academically admissible. In the end, the committee hopes to admit students that are prepared for the challenge that an education at Lewis & Clark will offer while also contributing positively to the college community.
Yes! We are happy to consider additional materials along with the required parts of the application for admission. Pieces that are academic in nature (i.e. graded writing samples, science research summaries) tend to be more helpful for us than those that are non-academic. Don’t go overboard – an extra teacher evaluation plus a graded paper you’re really proud of would be great.
We do not require special portfolios or applications for admission to particular majors, so items such as artwork, slides, performance recordings, and creative writing portfolios will be considered only as background for the overall admissions decision. Please do not send original artwork.
Supplemental materials can be uploaded through your L&C Portal after your Common Application is received by our office and your application file has been established.
The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act requires that all colleges and universities make their annual security report available to prospective students. The annual security report includes campus crime statistics and other security information. You can find our annual report on the Campus Safety webpage at Clery Reports or get a paper copy at the Campus Safety office.
Admissions is located in Frank Manor House on the Undergraduate Campus.
MSC: 32
email admissions@lclark.edu
voice 503-768-7040
fax 503-768-7055
Vice President of Admissions and Financial Aid
Eric Staab
Admissions
Lewis & Clark
615 S. Palatine Hill Road
Portland OR 97219