How to Apply to Economics at Reed College: An Independent Liberal Arts College That Does Not Use SAT or ACT, Where You Are Admitted to the College, Choose Economics in the First or Second Year, and Finish With a Junior Qualifying Exam and Thesis, for U.S., International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Reed College is an independent liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. The economics major is taught by the Economics Department. Reed has no separate schools and no separate economics admission standard: you apply to the college and choose economics once you are enrolled. Reed’s graduation requirements include a junior qualifying exam and a senior thesis, and economics follows them. This guide follows Reed’s own pages for fall 2027 entry and speaks to U.S. applicants, international applicants (including applicants from China) and transfer applicants. Business and computer science have separate guides on this site and are not covered here.

1. What the programs are

• Economics major: the department lists three major planners: Economics; Economics with Concentration in Quantitative Economics; and Environmental Studies–Economics (an interdisciplinary major). The Mathematics–Economics major is open only to students who started in fall 2018 or earlier; others should contact a department member. There is also an economics minor. The pages I read do not name the degree (for example BA or BS). This is not published in the pages I read.
• STEM: the department’s page for international students says the Economics and Economics with Concentration in Quantitative Economics majors (CIP 45.0603) are STEM-designated, so an international graduate may apply for up to 36 months of optional practical training. Check with International Student Services (iss@reed.edu).
• Major requirements: the full requirements are in the college catalog, which is a third-party hosted catalog I did not use. Use the “Major requirements” link on the department site to confirm. What follows is what the department’s own pages state.
• Honors: the economics pages I read do not describe a separate honors program. The department gives awards such as the Gerald M. Meier Award for Distinction in Economics, described below.

2. How admission works: admitted to the college, then choose economics

• At application: the application pages I read do not ask you to choose a major and list no economics-specific requirement. This is not published in the pages I read. The department says many economics majors did not plan to major in economics when they arrived: some were undecided and others started in math, science or another social science, got interested in ECON 201, and committed in the sophomore or junior year.
• Conditions to enter the major: the pages I read give no GPA threshold, required grade in a course, or cap on majors. This is not published in the pages I read. Ask the Registrar or the department how and when to declare.
• Junior qualifying exam: held in the second semester of junior year (November for students starting the thesis in the spring, April for students starting in the fall). ECON 304 and 313 are prerequisites. Part one is three one-page thesis topic summaries; submitting them unlocks part two, a three-hour written exam taken in a 48-hour window, open notes and books, with four micro and four macro questions of which you answer three of each. The result is pass, conditional pass or fail. A student who fails may take it the next time it is offered; failing a second time bars the student from continuing as a degree candidate in economics (but does not restrict taking the qual in another department).
• Thesis: ECON 470 is a yearlong course worth 2 units, 1 unit per semester.
• Changing into economics: the department says students who take ECON 201 in the first year and one or two more courses in the second (ideally including 313 or 304) are well positioned. Students who have taken only ECON 201 by the end of two years can still finish in four years, but their courses are compressed and they must prepare quickly for the qual and thesis. A few students have finished with no economics before junior year, and the department says some of them had serious difficulties.

3. Prerequisites and course sequence

• High school math: the department says there is no formal mathematics requirement, but modern economic analysis needs calculus, and calculus is a prerequisite for microeconomic theory (ECON 313). Students without calculus can take Math 111 at Reed.
• Course groups: introductory, core and elective. ECON 201 Introduction to Economic Analysis is one semester, mostly microeconomics with some macroeconomics, pitched at an “intermediate” theory level, and is a prerequisite for most other economics courses; the department says it is open to all students. The core is ECON 313 Microeconomic Theory, ECON 304 Intermediate Macroeconomics, and ECON 311 or 312. Everything else is a 200-, 300- or 400-level elective.
• The two econometrics courses: ECON 311 is a survey of econometric methods. ECON 312 is more mathematically rigorous with considerable hands-on work and needs ECON 201 plus an introductory statistics course (the catalog text says STAT 141, formerly MATH 141, or similar). The department recommends 312 for students considering graduate study or planning to use econometrics in the thesis. They are alternatives, not a sequence, and students should not plan to take both.
• Units: the department says majors take 10 units of economics: ECON 201, the core, the thesis and at least four electives, with at least three of the four electives from ECON 315–469 (excluding ECON 402). The transfer page says 30 units are needed to graduate.
• Ideal sequence (department): ECON 201 in the first year; ECON 313, 304 and one elective in the second; two electives and econometrics in the third; the last elective and the thesis in the fourth. The department stresses flexibility and notes some students begin in sophomore year or later.
• Math advice: take Math 111 in the first year if you want ECON 313 as a sophomore; Math 141 in the first or second year is highly recommended if you plan to use ECON 312; students considering graduate study should take more math.
• AP and IB credit (first-year page): AP Micro/Macro scores of 4 or 5 earn one-half unit for either or both exams, but advanced placement is not granted from the exam; it is decided by the department’s placement exam before fall registration. IB Higher Level Economics of 5 or higher earns 2 units, with one unit rescinded if you take ECON 201, and again placement is decided by the department’s exam. AP Statistics earns no credit. AP Calculus AB 5 or BC 4–5 earns one unit and cannot be combined with Math 111. AP and IB credit counts toward the 30 units but cannot satisfy other Reed requirements, and pre-matriculation credit is capped at 8 units.
• Other credentials: the page says credit may also come from internationally recognized programs such as the IB, Abitur and GCE A-levels; conversions for A-level economics are not published in the pages I read. Required high school subjects are also not listed. This is not published in the pages I read.
• Replacing ECON 201: the department strongly advises taking ECON 201 at Reed rather than replacing it with transfer work; students who believe their background is strong can take the placement exam at the start of the year to waive the ECON 201 prerequisite for advanced courses.

4. Rounds, deadlines and materials (fall 2027 entry)

• Early Decision I (binding): application due November 1; decisions mailed in December; reply within 2 weeks of admission; optional interview by November 15.
• Early Action (non-binding): application due November 1; decisions in February; reply by May 1; interview by December 1.
• Early Decision II (binding): application due January 15; decisions in March; reply within 2 weeks; interview by January 31.
• Regular Decision (non-binding): application due January 15; decisions mailed April 1; reply by May 1; interview by February 1.
• Students denied under EA, ED I or ED II may not reapply under Regular Decision in the same cycle. Reed also describes an Early Decision Aid Review: an estimated need-based aid package by November 15, and if it does not meet your need you can switch to a different round.
• Platforms: the Common Application or the Coalition for College application, neither favored.
• Materials: the application; a personal essay (Common Application only); the Reed writing supplement (up to 500 words, on what you would teach during Paideia, the week at the end of January when students teach classes); the high school transcript; official transcripts from any college attended; the counselor recommendation and school report; two teacher evaluations from two different academic disciplines; and self-reported SAT or ACT scores if you have them.
• Testing: the page says Reed “will neither require nor use” SAT or ACT results in admission review, even if you self-report them. AP and IB results may be submitted for credit after enrollment.
• Interview: optional for high school seniors, second-semester juniors and transfer students. International students interview by invitation only.
• Application fee: the application pages I read do not state a fee. This is not published in the pages I read. Ask the admission office.

5. By reader

U.S. applicants

• The process, courses and testing are the same as above, and SAT/ACT scores are not used.
• In-state versus out-of-state tuition: the cost page lists one tuition figure with no residency split. Any preference for Oregon residents is not published in the pages I read.
• Aid: Reed gives need-based aid only, with no academic or athletic scholarships, and says it meets 100% of the demonstrated need of all admitted students, domestic or international, for four years. Apply with the FAFSA and CSS Profile (only the FAFSA if you want federal aid alone). The page says more than 57 percent of students receive need-based aid, and the average need-based package for the incoming class of 2027 was $59,300 (the page’s wording).
• Aid deadlines on the page: for ED I and EA, CSS Profile and FAFSA November 1 and tax forms and verification documents November 8; for ED II and RD, January 15 and January 22.

International applicants

• Platform and rounds: the same Common or Coalition application; any plan is open to international students.
• English proficiency: TOEFL, IELTS, SAT, ACT, or documentation that you attended an English-medium school or program; if you attended one, no test is required. Applicants whose native language is not English are “encouraged but not required” to submit English results. Reed gives no minimum, only typical averages: SAT evidence-based reading/writing 600+; ACT reading and English 28+; TOEFL 5.0+ (110+ on the prior scale); IELTS 7+; Duolingo 145+. Another page says the average internet-based TOEFL score of international students entering Reed is 110. TOEFL code 4654.
• Records: official secondary school transcripts must come from the school and be translated into English (they can be emailed to admission@reed.edu); students in exam-based systems such as the IB or the British system submit exam results at application or when available; recommendations not in English need an accurate translation. Whether a third-party credential evaluation is required is not published in the pages I read.
• Interviews: InitialView or Vericant interviews are optional, carry a fee that you pay, and can be shared with several colleges; fee waivers can be requested from those services.
• Aid: international applicants who want aid submit the CSS Profile. If you are admitted without aid you are not eligible for aid at any time during your years at Reed. Reed meets the full demonstrated need of admitted students and says it will not admit a student with demonstrated need without offering an aid package. For the visa you submit an International Student Certification of Finances with supporting documents.
• International scholarships: beginning with the fall 2026 entering class, Reed says it intends to offer full-tuition scholarships to two students from each continent (the Continental Scholarship Program). Admitted UWC students automatically receive $30,000 a year ($15,000 Davis Award plus $15,000 Reed Match), $120,000 over four years, with no separate application. The page adds that over the past three years Reed has awarded more than 100 full scholarships to students from 49 countries.

Applicants from China

• Reed’s pages do not give China-specific requirements and do not say whether the gaokao is considered or how school-exam records should be sent. This is not published in the pages I read. The international admission contact is admission-international@reed.edu.
• The international page asks for the transcript, school report, counselor recommendation and two teacher recommendations, with the transcript sent by the school and translated into English. The credit page names the IB, Abitur and GCE A-levels as examples of recognized programs and does not mention the gaokao.
• Everything else follows the international section: SAT/ACT are not used, English results are encouraged for non-native speakers, and the CSS Profile is needed for aid.

6. Costs

• Cost of attendance page, 2026-27: tuition $73,960; fees $310; on-campus housing $9,720; on-campus meal plan A $9,180; books and supplies $1,050; personal expenses $900; transportation $250 to $2,000 (based on your home state; international students are budgeted one round-trip airline ticket). The page lists items without a total.
• No separate surcharge for the economics major is listed in the pages I read.

7. Internships, research and awards

• The department’s Internship Awards fund unpaid economics-related internships; economics majors or students who have taken at least three economics courses are eligible, and the awards are administered by the Center for Life Beyond Reed.
• Each year some funded opportunities exist for individual research, collaboration with faculty, or work with outside organizations. Most are used in summer, with application deadlines usually in early March or later. Faculty hire student assistants individually, and students with federal work-study may use it.
• Awards: the Gerald M. Meier Award for Distinction in Economics (a certificate and a $250 book grant); the Walter Mintz Economics Scholarships for selected junior and senior majors who qualify for Reed financial aid; and the Simpson Fund, which supports thesis data, travel and conference costs.
• Off-campus study: the department says Reed’s core theory courses are unique in level and scope, so majors should take them at Reed. It recommends ECON 313 and 304 (or 314) as a sophomore for students planning to be away in the junior year.

8. Transfer

• Who counts as a transfer applicant: you have graduated from high school and have enrolled at an accredited college (even for an unfinished term), earned at least six Reed units of allowable transfer credit (about 24 semester hours), or received financial aid at a college. Dual-enrollment graduates apply as first-years.
• Apply and deadlines: through the Common Application only (with the personal essay and Reed writing supplement). Fall Transfer 2027: Early Decision March 1 (decision mid-March); priority deadline March 1 (mid-April); regular deadline May 1 (mid-June); rolling after May 1 (about four weeks after the file is complete). Applications after March 1 are considered on a space-available basis. The spring 2027 column shows November 1, and I do not cover that term here.
• Materials: the Common Application; Reed writing supplement; College Report from the most recent college; high school transcript; all official college transcripts; two recommendations, one academic. International students are welcome; non-native English speakers are advised to submit TOEFL or IELTS. SAT and ACT are not used.
• Credit and standing: you get a preliminary credit evaluation with an offer. No credit is given for work below Reed’s introductory level, vocational, technical or experiential courses, general writing, or grades below C-. Class standing is by units (1–6 first year; 7–12 second year; 15 or more junior, and junior standing needs the approval of the intended major department). At least 15 of the 30 units must be completed at Reed.
• Transfer into economics: the department says courses from other institutions rarely correspond to Reed’s, making it hard to fit the sequence. A transfer with one year of college work should usually take ECON 201 right away in the fall of sophomore year, even after a year of introductory economics elsewhere. Depending on background, the faculty may suggest ECON 313 or 304 alongside ECON 201, or waiting until junior year. A junior transfer will usually have to compress most economics courses into two years, and sometimes this is difficult or impossible in four semesters; the adviser and student then evaluate prior coursework. The admission page also warns that transferring in as a junior is very difficult because of the junior qual, and an extra semester or two may be needed.
• Aid: transfer aid materials are due November 1 for spring transfer and March 1 (priority) or May 1 (regular) for fall transfer.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• Common or Coalition application plus the Reed writing supplement (up to 500 words); transcript, counselor materials, two teacher evaluations from different disciplines; SAT/ACT not used
• ED I and EA November 1; ED II and RD January 15; file the CSS Profile and FAFSA if you need aid
• After enrolling: ECON 201, then 313, 304 and econometrics (311 or 312); junior qualifying exam; thesis

International applicants (including China):

• Same application and rounds; school-issued transcript translated into English; English results are encouraged, not required, for non-native speakers (and not needed if you attended an English-medium school)
• If you need aid, file the CSS Profile; if you are admitted without aid you cannot apply for it later
• China: gaokao requirements are not published; write to admission-international@reed.edu
• Economics and its quantitative concentration are listed as STEM for OPT; confirm with International Student Services

Transfer applicants:

• Fall transfer: Early Decision or priority March 1, regular May 1; Common Application only; SAT/ACT not used
• Take ECON 201 as early as you can; junior standing needs department approval and may require extra semesters

Sources: Reed College, Economics Department; Curriculum; First and second years; Junior year and qualifying exam; Changing majors to economics; Transfer students and economics; Courses; Student opportunities; STEM and international students; How to apply; First-year applicants; International applicants; Transfer applicants; Costs and financial aid; Cost of attendance. Most deadline pages do not print a year (the transfer page labels its columns “Fall Transfer 2027”). Check Reed for the latest details and confirm the entry year (fall 2027).