A flagship university of manageable size in a great location, UO is notable for its emphasis on the undergraduate educational experience. Liberal arts are more than just a slogan, and programs in the sciences, business, and communication are strong. Splashy sports program plays a big-faculty members say too big-role in shaping the vibrant campus life and culture. Lagging state funding assures that it lacks the academic range of larger flagship universities.

Blend two vegetarians, one track star, one fraternity brother, two tree huggers, three hikers, and one conservative. What have you got? Ten UO students. Sure, the joke’s hokey, but its offbeat humor is typical of the laid-back, slightly eccentric attitude that prevails here in Eugene, where bicycling is the main form of transportation, recycling is a requirement, and littering is déclassé. As the most accessible of the West Coast flagship universities, the University of Oregon attracts brainy students who are proud of their quirky ways.

UO’s buildings date from as early as 1876 and are surrounded by the university’s lush 295-acre arboretum-like campus, which boasts more than 4,000 trees representing nearly 500 species. Many academic buildings were built before World War II and represent a blend of classical styles, including Georgian, Second Empire, Jacobin, and Lombardic. In a move to make undergraduate life more pleasant, major renovations have been made to the Student Recreation Center and the Erb Memorial Union. Construction is underway on the ultramodern, $1 billion Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact (funded in part by a $500 million donation from UO alum and Nike cofounder Phil Knight and his wife). The first phase, a 160,000-square-foot, glass-and-steel facility, opened to students and researchers in 2020.

Oregon’s academic calendar is composed of quarters, and its general education program consists of standard distribution requirements, as well as one course exploring difference, inequality, and agency in the U.S. and one course on global perspectives. Each summer, the university offers IntroDUCKtion to new students, featuring opportunities for orientation, registration, and advisement. First-Year Interest Groups (FIGs) help new students develop close working and advising relationships with faculty members and other students. Each FIG consists of 20 freshmen who take three courses together around a common theme, such as Going Green and Passport to World Cultures.

Due to a decline in state funding, UO has a relatively modest array of academic offerings for a major research university. UO’s professional schools-journalism, design, education, law, business, and music and dance-are highly regarded, and considered to be more accessible to entry-level students than similar programs elsewhere. The most popular majors include business administration, general social science, economics, and psychology. The College of Design is the home of sought-after programs in architecture, landscape architecture, and interior architecture-the state’s only accredited degrees in these fields. In the College of Arts and Sciences, environmental studies is strong, and the science departments enjoy advanced resources and research opportunities in fields like nanotechnology, optogenetics, and neuropsychology. Pine Mountain Observatory, a field-study resource for astronomy and physics students located high in the Cascade Mountains, and the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology give students a chance for hands-on studies in their major.

“I would say that the academic climate at the University of Oregon is collaborative yet challenging,” says an accounting major. “Above all else, it is what you make of it.” Thirty-nine percent of classes have fewer than 20 students. The quality of instruction varies, and it’s not uncommon to find teaching assistants handling some of the teaching duties, but a math major says most professors are knowledgeable and will “check in on students’ progress.” A senior adds that it is possible to find “supportive and encouraging mentors” among the faculty.

Highly motivated undergraduates may apply to the Clark Honors College, a small liberal arts college with its own four-year curriculum that includes a senior thesis and opportunities for exclusive research assistantships. Student-run community internship programs provide credit for community volunteer work. One-quarter of undergrads study or complete internships abroad during their time at UO, and more than 300 programs are offered in more than 90 countries.

UO students “find what they love and work hard for it,” says a journalism major. Only 54 percent of undergraduates are native Oregonians, largely because the university has increasingly relied on revenue from full-paying outsiders to balance the budget. “There are a lot of people from California,” says a freshman, and “a lot of artsy hipsters.” There is also a noticeable contingent of international students, who account for 10 percent of the student body. Asian Americans comprise 6 percent, African Americans 2 percent, Hispanics 13 percent, and multiracial students 8 percent. “The political climate is skewed liberal all across campus,” notes a sophomore. Numerous merit scholarships worth an average of $5,600 are awarded to qualified students, as are 338 athletic scholarships in 20 sports. The PathwayOregon program covers tuition and fees for Pell-eligible Oregonians.

Twenty-two percent of UO students live in the university’s 10 residence halls, which are a mix of traditional halls and modern high-rises. Freshmen are required to reside on campus. A student says of the rooms, “They are pretty small, but I love the cozy feeling.” There are a number of thematic living arrangements, including the Global Scholars Hall, the Clark Honors College, and Kalapuya Ilihi Hall, which is named for the native inhabitants of the Willamette Valley and offers communities for Native American and indigenous studies, social activism, art and design, and media and social action. Student can choose from five meal plans, and nine dining facilities serve up fresh, diverse menus. “The food on campus is actually amazing,” says a sophomore. Regarding sexual violence on campus, a junior comments, “I think that the university is working hard to create a safer campus community,” citing several administrative initiatives and student groups dedicated to the issue.

Sixteen percent of UO men and 20 percent of the women join Greek organizations, which provide living space, interesting social diversions, and a wealth of leadership and community service opportunities. “The university plays host to a variety of concerts, culture nights, film viewings, guest lecturers, sporting events, and dances,” a journalism major says. Students 21 and over may have alcohol in their rooms, but only with the doors closed. A junior says, “There are large parties happening around campus most nights of the week for people who would like to spend their time on such activities,” but there is no pressure to do so. University Day, which happens each spring, gives students, faculty, and staff an opportunity to clean up campus. Other major events include the Willamette Valley Music Festival, where big-name artists perform for students on campus, and, of course, every home football game, where “thousands of students whoop and holler and scream their lungs out” for their Ducks.

Eugene offers plenty of popular hangouts and is, according to one student, “the best college town ever! Everything about Eugene is based around the Ducks!” Popular hangouts include Taylor’s and Rennie’s Landing. The one drawback to all this fun is Oregon’s weather: it rains and rains from late fall through spring. Still, the moist climate rarely dampens enthusiasm for the many expeditions available through the university’s well-coordinated outdoor program, from rock climbing to skiing. An hour to the west, the rain turns to mist on the Pacific Coast; an hour to the east, it turns to snow in the Cascade Mountains. Those who stick around all year are rewarded with green, sunny summers.

UO’s official mascot is a whimsical yellow-and-green likeness of Donald Duck. The athletic program is financially independent of the university, and the Ducks continue to dominate their Division I athletic rivals. The women’s program made NCAA history by becoming the first to win national titles in women’s cross-country, indoor track, and outdoor track in the same season-the “triple crown.” Football, men’s golf and basketball, women’s acrobatics and tumbling, and softball have had impressive successes as well. Duck fans love cheering on their teams, especially during the Civil War football game against Oregon State, a rivalry that has been playing out since 1894. Intramurals are another time-honored pastime here, and roughly 44 percent of students take part.

A recent University of Oregon Orientation Week T-shirt sported a picture of a duck and a simple exhortation: “Let your future take flight.” UO offers ample opportunities for those with lofty ambitions to succeed. Indeed, UO’s accessible academics, expert faculty, and abundance of social activities reveal that UO is all it’s quacked up to be.

-Fiske Guide