Univ of Washington vs University of Portland

My son was accepted to both schools. Having a hard time deciding between the two. Received generous scholarship to UP but costs will still be similar. Schools are so different - large, public vs small, private, faith -based. He was able to visit UP and liked it. Only able to walk around UW campus briefly due to COVID-19 and tours cancelled. Any advice?

Boy I wish I could help you. DS is in the same boat although UP is coming in much cheaper due to ROTC scholarship. We just had a big discussion before he has to decide this week and it looks like he’s leaning toward UP for the small, more intimate community. Both campus’ are beautiful in their own way, but I do think ours is a better fit for UP.

OP’s son may have made a decision already but here’s my input. When my D and I toured UP, we both thought UP’s campus looks like a compact version of UW. It’s small scale but they have almost everything one can wish for (just my impression): strong academics, sports (w/o football), great newer facilities, residential campus, nice surrounding area, etc. From the info session, we got an impression that engineering and nursing are their main focus (but we also heard business is strong) and somewhat more religious than other schools like Seattle U. If your son is direct admit to his major at UW and prefers anonymity but motivated to find his niche in a large university, UW may be good fit but mid-size UP is a great choice otherwise.