Applications for first-year students are due January 15, unless you are applying for an early decision. Early decision applications are due November 15. Your application must include the Common Application, SAT I or ACT scores, an application fee of $50, a school report with counselor recommendation, high school transcripts through your junior year, a mid-year report or transcripts with your grades through the middle of your senior year, a recent writing sample with instructor's comments, an essay and two teacher evaluations. Your SAT II scores are optional, but the recommendations and evaluations are requirements. Choose teachers from two different disciplines to submit evaluations. Also, your essay should address why you want to attend Reed College.
Reed College defines transfer students as anyone who has had financial aid at another college, completed one or more terms at a college or has at least six allowable transfer Reed credits (24 semester hours). Your application as a transfer student is due on March 15. You will need to include the Common Application, a personal statement about why you are transferring, the $50 application fee, the College Official's Report from colleges you have attended (you must fill out the part labeled "To the Applicant before giving it to the registrar or dean of your current school), final high school and college transcripts, SAT I or ACT scores, two teacher recommendations on school letter head (at least one from a college-level professor), a writing sample and an essay. Your essay should address why you want to attend Reed College and, if you're not currently in school, a brief statement on what you have been doing with your time.
Reed College understands that not every student attends traditional high school and welcomes applications from home-schooled candidates. The college also understands that these candidates may not be able to submit the same documents as traditional students, but they ask you to be as thorough as possible. Home-schooled candidates should include the Common Application Home School Supplement or a detailed outline of the home-school curriculum (areas studied, texts used, time spent on each subject), a list of any books and textbooks read in home-school, an essay about why you want to attend Reed, a personal statement, an analytical writing sample, a secondary school report and a letter of recommendation from an educator or evaluator who is not a family member. While family is integral to the home-schooling process, outside evaluation is a key step in the application process.
To strengthen your application, you may want to schedule an interview with an admissions representative. Also, the college recommends that home-schooled candidates include three SAT II subject tests (preferably one math test, and two others) with their application.
Reed College accepts non-permanent residents and non-U.S. citizens as international applicants. If you are a permanent resident of the U.S., apply as a U.S. citizen. To complete an international application, include the Common Application with a personal statement, SAT I or ACT scores (if you have an SAT reading score below 600, you should include your TOEFL or IELTS scores), counselor recommendation and a school report, full high school transcripts and any college transcripts (your secondary school transcripts must include course descriptions), two teacher evaluations from different subjects and a Reed application supplement with your "Why Reed?" essay.