A Parent’s Complete Guide to Lewis & Clark College (2026-2027)
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Jump to
- What is the one thing every Lewis & Clark College parent needs to know before move-in?
- Quick Facts for Lewis & Clark College Families
- A Note on Pioneers Identity and Financial Aid
- Getting to Portland
- What do parents need to know about Lewis & Clark College move-in day 2026?
- The Residence Halls: Where Your Student Might Live
- How much does Lewis & Clark College cost? Tuition, financial aid, and scholarships for 2026-27
- Portland and the Pacific Northwest: What Parents Need to Know
- When is Lewis & Clark College Family Weekend 2026 and how do parents plan for it?
- How can parents support their Lewis & Clark College student’s mental health?
- Who do Lewis & Clark College parents contact? Essential numbers and websites for families
- Lewis & Clark’s Academic Strengths
- Getting Your Student’s Stuff Home Between Semesters
- You Are a Lewis & Clark Pioneers Family Now
- What is Lewis & Clark College’s graduation rate?
- Academic Calendar
- What to Pack for Lewis & Clark College
What is the one thing every Lewis & Clark College parent needs to know before move-in?
Lewis & Clark College was founded in 1867 as Albany Collegiate Institute in Albany, Oregon, and relocated to its current location in the southwest hills of Portland in 1942, taking its current name from the Lewis and Clark Expedition that had passed through the Oregon country 137 years earlier.
The campus, set on 137 acres in the Palatine Hill neighborhood of southwest Portland at approximately 1,000 feet elevation, borders the Tryon Creek State Natural Area, a 645-acre old-growth forest park in the middle of a major American city that is directly accessible from the college’s south and west edges.
The combination of a wooded hillside campus overlooking Portland and the Willamette Valley, adjacent to an old-growth forest, within a major American city (Portland, population approximately 650,000), is genuinely unusual in American liberal arts college geography. Students at Lewis & Clark have access to hiking trails into old-growth forest from the edge of their residential campus, to the full cultural resources of Portland’s nationally significant food scene, arts institutions, and music culture, and to the Pacific Northwest outdoor environment (Columbia River Gorge, Mount Hood, Oregon Coast) within 90 minutes in any direction.
Lewis & Clark’s international study program is one of the most extensive at any liberal arts college in the country: the college operates its own overseas study programs (called Overseas Programs) in more than 15 countries, with Lewis & Clark faculty accompanying student groups to each location, providing a faculty-supervised study abroad experience that is different from the independent or third-party program model that most peer institutions use.
Quick Facts for Lewis & Clark College Families
| Family Weekend | Lewis & Clark College has not yet published its 2026 Family Weekend date. |
| Location | Portland, OR 97219 |
| Enrollment | ~2,100 students |
| Type | Private Liberal Arts College |
| Tuition (2026-27) | ~$60,000/year (verify at lclark.edu) |
| Room and Board | ~$14,000-$16,000/year (verify at lclark.edu) |
| Total Cost | ~$75,000-$77,000/year (verify at lclark.edu) |
| Graduation Rate | ~75% (6-year) |
| Median Earnings (10 years post-grad) | ~$55,000 (verify at lclark.edu) |
| Nearest Airport | PDX (Portland International, 30 minutes) |
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A Note on Pioneers Identity and Financial Aid
Lewis & Clark’s athletic teams are the Pioneers, competing in the Northwest Conference at the Division III level. The colors are black, red, and gold.
The Pioneers compete in the full range of Division III sports, and the campus’s proximity to outdoor recreation and the Portland urban environment supports a student culture that combines intercollegiate athletics with the outdoor recreation and urban cultural engagement that characterize the Lewis & Clark experience.
Lewis & Clark’s financial aid program meets demonstrated financial need for admitted students with aid packages that are designed to make the college accessible across the full range of income levels. Check lclark.edu/offices/financial-aid for the current aid commitment details. The CSS Profile may be required in addition to the FAFSA; verify at lclark.edu.
Getting to Portland
Portland International Airport (PDX) is approximately 30 minutes from the Lewis & Clark campus via I-205 and I-5, served by Alaska, American, Delta, United, Southwest, and other carriers from comprehensive national and some international markets. The Alaska Airlines hub status at PDX provides direct connections to virtually every major domestic market.
The MAX light rail does not have a direct connection to the Lewis & Clark campus, but TriMet buses serve the campus from downtown Portland and from the southwest Portland neighborhoods. For families arriving from PDX without rental cars, a taxi or rideshare from the airport to campus is the most practical option.
For families driving from California, I-5 north through the Willamette Valley to Portland. From Seattle, I-5 south. From the east, I-84 through the Columbia River Gorge into downtown Portland, then I-5 south to the southwest Portland exits.
What do parents need to know about Lewis & Clark College move-in day 2026?
Lewis & Clark’s fall move-in runs in late August, with specific dates and arrival windows per residence hall. Check lclark.edu/offices/residential-life for your student’s building and move-in window.
Portland in late August is warm and dry in the Pacific Northwest late-summer way: temperatures in the mid-to-upper 80s, low humidity, and the clarity of the dry season before the autumn rains begin in mid-October. The campus in late August, with the old-growth trees of the adjacent Tryon Creek State Natural Area in full summer green, is at its most impressively lush.
Lewis & Clark runs organized move-in with orientation volunteer crews and building-specific unloading areas.
Practical notes:
- The Palatine Hill neighborhood’s winding roads and the hillside campus mean following housing instructions for designated unloading zones is important.
- Rideshare from PDX is the most practical car-free arrival option.
- Ship boxes ahead. Lewis & Clark holds packages.
- After unloading, the campus dining facilities are the most convenient first-night option. For a family dinner, the Multnomah Village neighborhood (5 minutes from campus, a charming Portland neighborhood commercial district with independent restaurants and shops) and the broader southwest Portland restaurant scene are accessible.
The Residence Halls: Where Your Student Might Live
Lewis & Clark’s residential system houses all freshmen on campus and provides on-campus housing for approximately half the student body, with many upperclassmen choosing the affordable southwest Portland neighborhoods near campus.
Copeland Hall and Stewart Hall are among the primary freshman-designated residence halls, housing incoming students in traditional double-room configurations with community bathroom access and proximity to the main campus facilities.
Platt Hall and other upperclass residence halls provide a range of housing options for continuing students, including suite-style configurations and the single rooms that upperclassmen access through the housing lottery.
Hartzfeld Hall provides apartment-style units for upperclassmen who prefer the greater independence of apartment living within the campus residential system.
The Bon Appétit dining program at Lewis & Clark, operating through the Fields Dining Room, has a strong reputation for quality and for locally sourced Pacific Northwest ingredients. The Pacific Northwest’s agricultural and seafood resources translate directly into the dining program’s quality, and the Bon Appétit program’s commitment to sustainability aligns with the Lewis & Clark institutional culture.
How much does Lewis & Clark College cost? Tuition, financial aid, and scholarships for 2026-27
Lewis & Clark’s financial aid program is designed to meet demonstrated need. Verify current no-loan status and CSS Profile requirements at lclark.edu/offices/financial-aid. Net price calculator available at lclark.edu.
| Expense | Cost |
|---|---|
| Tuition and Fees | ~$60,000 (verify at lclark.edu) |
| Room and Board | ~$14,000-$16,000 (verify at lclark.edu) |
| Books and Supplies | ~$900 (verify at lclark.edu) |
| Personal and Transportation | ~$2,500 (verify at lclark.edu) |
| Estimated Total (before aid) | ~$77,000-$79,000 (verify at lclark.edu) |
Lewis & Clark’s financial aid program is designed to meet demonstrated need. Verify current no-loan status and CSS Profile requirements at lclark.edu/offices/financial-aid. Net price calculator available at lclark.edu.
If there is a gap between aid and costs, SoFi is consistently competitive on private loan rates. Always work with Lewis & Clark’s financial aid office first.
FAFSA guide for Lewis & Clark families Full college cost planning guide
Portland and the Pacific Northwest: What Parents Need to Know
Portland provides an extraordinary urban context for a liberal arts college campus, and the combination of the wooded hillside campus and the city below is the defining geographic feature of the Lewis & Clark experience.
Tryon Creek State Natural Area, directly adjacent to the south and west edges of the Lewis & Clark campus, is a 645-acre old-growth Douglas fir and bigleaf maple forest in the middle of southwest Portland, with more than 8 miles of hiking trails accessible from the campus edge. The ability to walk from a classroom building into an old-growth forest in under 10 minutes is genuinely unusual in American higher education, and the Tryon Creek canyon trails are used by Lewis & Clark students for running, hiking, and the kind of contemplative outdoor engagement that the Pacific Northwest forest provides year-round.
Multnomah Village, 10 minutes north of campus, is a Portland neighborhood commercial district with an independent character: Powell’s Books branch (Books at the Village), independent restaurants, a coffee shop tradition, and the local-scale shopping that characterizes the older Portland neighborhoods outside the downtown core.
Downtown Portland is approximately 20 minutes from campus by car or bus, with the Portland Art Museum (50,000 objects, strong Pacific Northwest collection), the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (Oregon Symphony home), the Portland Center for the Performing Arts, and the food scene of the Pearl District, the West End, and the Old Town Chinatown neighborhoods.
Powell’s Books City of Books (1005 W Burnside, Portland) is the largest independent bookstore in the world and is a 20-minute bus ride from campus, a resource that Lewis & Clark students use with the regularity of a library extension.
Mount Hood is approximately 60 miles east via US-26, with Timberline Lodge and year-round skiing, hiking, and the Columbia River Gorge just below. The Gorge’s waterfall corridor and the Historic Columbia River Highway are within 45 minutes of campus.
The Oregon Coast begins approximately 90 minutes west via US-26, with Seaside, Cannon Beach, and the dramatic Tillamook headlands providing the Pacific Ocean access that is among the most distinctive features of the Pacific Northwest college experience.
For parent visit dining: Mucca Osteria (Multnomah Village, Italian, excellent and casual), Little T American Baker (Multnomah Village, exceptional bread and sandwiches), Luce (downtown Portland, Italian, celebrated), and the SE Division Street and SE Hawthorne corridors for the broader Portland independent restaurant scene.
When is Lewis & Clark College Family Weekend 2026 and how do parents plan for it?
Lewis & Clark College has not yet published its 2026 Family Weekend date.
Check the official family and parents page for the announcement. Small colleges often post fall dates by late spring or early summer, so check back. If you may travel, booking a refundable hotel now protects you, since rooms near a small campus town sell out fast once the date is set.
Comparing schools? See our 2026 parents weekend and family weekend dates for every college in one place.
Lewis & Clark College refunds tuition on a declining schedule after the semester starts, so timing a withdrawal matters.
Lewis and Clark deliberately mirrors the federal Title IV 60% rule in its own tuition policy, so for a family relying on financial aid, the tuition-refund math and the aid-clawback math move together, which is unusual since many schools’ schedules don’t align this cleanly. Room and board follow a separate date-of-checkout proration through Residence Life.
Refund schedule: tuition and the student body fee are prorated on a per-day basis up through the 60% point of the semester, then not adjusted at all after that. For Fall 2026 (Sept 5 to Dec 12), the 60% point falls in early November, though this is an estimate based on the calendar rather than a single date the college itself publishes. Confirmed via the official Lewis & Clark College refund policy page. Policies and dates change every term, so verify directly before making a decision.
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Most colleges do not refund 100% of tuition once the semester starts.
GradGuard Tuition Insurance can reimburse tuition, housing, and fees if a covered illness, injury, mental health condition, or other covered reason forces a withdrawal during the term. Plans must be purchased before the semester begins.
Students in their first or second semester may not buy a parking permit at Lewis & Clark.
A petition for exception (commuter status, documented medical need, 15+ hours/week off-campus employment, academic need, or family caregiving) must be submitted at least 30 days before the term begins.
Freshman permit cost: not applicable absent an approved exception. Confirmed via the official Lewis & Clark parking page. Policies can change year to year, so verify before move-in.
Lewis & Clark’s Family Weekend is in the fall; check lclark.edu/student-life for current year dates. The Northwest Conference athletics schedule provides the fall sports draw, and the Portland fall (which remains dry and warm through October before the autumn rains begin in November) provides excellent parent visit conditions.
The Tryon Creek trails in October, when the big-leaf maples are in full color, are among the most beautiful urban hiking experiences in the Pacific Northwest.
Hotel strategy: Southwest Portland has limited hotel inventory near campus. Hotels in downtown Portland (20 minutes) and the Beaverton-Lake Oswego corridor (15 minutes south) provide the most convenient options. Book Family Weekend 3 to 4 weeks ahead.
How can parents support their Lewis & Clark College student’s mental health?
Lewis & Clark’s Counseling Service provides individual therapy, group therapy, crisis support, and psychiatric referrals. The Portland urban environment, while offering tremendous cultural resources, also creates mental health challenges related to the visibility of urban homelessness and street-level social problems that are among the most pronounced in the western United States.
Students who are experiencing Portland for the first time may need support in processing the social context of a city dealing with significant housing and public health challenges.
The six-year graduation rate at Lewis & Clark (approximately 75%) is lower than at many peer liberal arts colleges, reflecting a student body that includes significant proportions of students who transfer, take leaves of absence, or require more than four years to complete the degree. The Counseling Service and the academic advising network have programming specifically designed to support students through the challenges that contribute to these patterns.
Lewis & Clark mental health and health resources:
- Counseling Service: contact via lclark.edu/student-life/counseling
- Health Service: contact via lclark.edu/student-life/health
- Crisis line: 988 (call or text, 24/7)
- Emergency: 911
Who do Lewis & Clark College parents contact? Essential numbers and websites for families
Verify all phone numbers and URLs at lclark.edu before using, as contact information is subject to change.
- Dean of Students / Parent Resources: contact via lclark.edu/student-life
- Admission: contact via lclark.edu/admission
- Financial Aid: contact via lclark.edu/offices/financial-aid
- Residential Life: contact via lclark.edu/offices/residential-life
- Counseling Service: contact via lclark.edu/student-life/counseling
- Health Service: contact via lclark.edu/student-life/health
- Campus Safety (non-emergency): contact via lclark.edu/offices/campus-safety
- Registrar: contact via lclark.edu/offices/registrar
- Emergency: 911
Lewis & Clark’s Academic Strengths
The Overseas Programs are the most distinctive feature of the Lewis & Clark academic program: faculty-led programs in which Lewis & Clark professors accompany groups of approximately 15 to 25 students to locations in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East for semester-long study programs organized around a specific academic theme.
Unlike the independent study abroad programs at most peer institutions, the Lewis & Clark Overseas Programs are taught by Lewis & Clark faculty, use Lewis & Clark syllabi, and count as Lewis & Clark course credit rather than transfer credit from a foreign institution. More than 50% of Lewis & Clark graduates participate in an Overseas Program, making it one of the highest study abroad participation rates at any liberal arts college in the country.
The international affairs program is the most popular and most recognized major at Lewis & Clark, reflecting the international orientation of the campus culture and the Overseas Programs’ sustained investment in global education. The program combines political science, economics, history, and area studies in an interdisciplinary approach to international affairs that has strong graduate school placement in law, international development, and diplomacy.
The environmental studies program is active and well-resourced, reflecting the Pacific Northwest ecological context and the direct access to old-growth forest and Pacific Northwest ecosystems from the campus. The law school (Lewis & Clark Law School) on the same campus provides undergraduate access to environmental law programming through joint seminars and research opportunities.
The psychology and sociology departments are among the most active at Lewis & Clark, with strong undergraduate research programs and a track record of producing graduate students in the social sciences. The neuroscience program is developing rapidly, reflecting national investment in the field and a faculty who are engaged in active research.
The theater and music programs are well-supported, with multiple productions per year and access to the Portland professional arts community through internships, performance opportunities, and faculty who maintain active careers in the regional arts scene.
Getting Your Student’s Stuff Home Between Semesters
PDX airport (30 minutes from campus) provides comprehensive national connectivity for end-of-semester travel in any direction. The Pacific Northwest winter is rainy rather than snowy at Portland elevations, making December travel weather generally manageable. Storage Scholars specializes in student storage with residence hall pickup and delivery.
Full printable Lewis & Clark dorm packing list
You Are a Lewis & Clark Pioneers Family Now
Tryon Creek in October when the big-leaf maples are yellow against the Douglas fir green and the trail is wet with the first autumn rain. The Overseas Program group in Morocco studying environmental policy with a Lewis & Clark professor. The Powell’s branch in Multnomah Village on a Saturday afternoon.
The Willamette Valley visible through the campus trees on a clear January day when the clouds have lifted.
Lewis & Clark was founded by people who understood that the Pacific Northwest was a place worth building an educational institution for, and the campus has grown into one of the most environmentally and culturally situated liberal arts colleges in the country. The old-growth forest and the city are both real. The Overseas Programs are real. The rain, which begins in October and continues through May, is also real.
Go Pioneers.
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Last updated: May 2026. Tuition, dates, and policies subject to change. Verify all time-sensitive information at lclark.edu and lclark.edu/offices/residential-life.
Where to stay near Lewis & Clark College
Hotels near campus fill up fast on move-in and Family Weekend. This live map shows places to stay near Lewis & Clark College. Drag the map or change the dates to fit your trip.
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What is Lewis & Clark College’s graduation rate?
Lewis & Clark College graduates 63% of students in four years; another 12.4 points finish within six. About 88.8% of first-year students return for sophomore year. Each bar is compared to the national average, marked by the vertical line.
14 pts above national
11.4 pts above national
7.8 pts above national
Here is how to read these numbers: the four-year and six-year rates show how many students finish on time and eventually, and retention shows how many return after the first year. Wherever your student lands, the habits that keep them on track matter most: a full, well-sequenced course load, an advisor meeting every term, and using campus support early. See why most students don’t graduate in four years and how to choose the right classes in the right order.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, most recent available data. National averages: NCES. Figures are for first-time, full-time bachelor’s-seeking students.
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Academic Calendar
Key dates for the Lewis & Clark College 2026-2027 academic year. Always verify at the official Registrar page before making travel plans.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Fall 2026 first day of classes | August 31, 2026 |
| Fall break (residences close) | October 8-11, 2026 |
| Thanksgiving break | November 25-27, 2026 |
| Last day of fall classes | December 10, 2026 |
| Fall finals | December 14-17, 2026 |
| Spring 2027 first day of classes | January 19, 2027 |
| Spring break | March 20-28, 2027 |
| Spring finals | May 3-6, 2027 |
| Commencement | May 8, 2027 |
Winter break housing: Most Lewis & Clark College residence halls close for winter break. Students who need to stay on campus must apply for break housing through Residential Life in November. Check the housing portal for specific closure dates and application deadlines.
What to Pack for Lewis & Clark College
Every dorm is different, but these are the items parents of Lewis & Clark College students buy most. Ship directly to campus and skip the trunk-stuffing stress.
Twin XL Bedding Set
Sheets, comforter, and pillowcases — buy before you arrive so the bed is ready day one.
Shower Caddy & Flip Flops
Shared bathrooms require these. Get a hanging caddy and waterproof sandals before move-in.
Surge Protector Power Strip
Most dorms allow 6-outlet surge protectors with USB ports. Check your school’s policy first.
Want the full list? See our complete college packing list →
Shipping to campus? Students get 6 months of Amazon Prime for Young Adults free, then half price on the student’s own account. Here is how it works.
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