Salem's Willamette University and Pacific University won't fully merge until 2028 at the earliest, even after the two schools become a single legal entity on April 1, 2027.
A university spokesperson estimated that U.S. Department of Education (DOE) approval could come in 2028, as first reported by KOIN 6 on Oct. 17.
The federal agency must sign off before the combined institution, to be called the University of the Northwest, can fully operate under one accreditation and one financial aid program.
The legal merger has slipped. The universities confirmed that their original target of Jan. 5, 2027, has been pushed to April 1, 2027, as both schools work through "pre-merger work" such as consolidating payroll systems, according to a joint statement.
The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and state regulators must also approve the plan, according to The Oregonian. Lauren Mulligan, a Willamette spokesperson, told The Oregonian that both universities will maintain separate accreditation and financial aid programs until those approvals come through.
For Salem, the practical upshot: Willamette's campus stays open. Leaders have said they have no plans to close any of the four campuses in Salem, Portland, Forest Grove and Hillsboro. Athletic programs and admissions will also remain separate.
The combined university would enroll more than 6,000 students and count 73,000 alumni, making it Oregon's largest private university.
Willamette President Steve Thorsett, who would become chancellor of the new institution, said in a July statement that the merger responds to financial pressures hitting Oregon's private colleges.
"So many universities in Oregon have been retrenching, cutting programs and support for students," Thorsett said. "We felt that this is a moment not for retreat, but for innovation and leadership."
Pacific University President Jenny Coyle would serve as president of the merged university, overseeing academic and student affairs. Thorsett told KGW in July that no faculty reductions are anticipated.
Both boards of trustees unanimously approved the merger agreement on June 6. They signed the binding deal in early July 2026. The two universities first announced their intent to merge in December 2025.
Coyle told KGW in July that the DOE approval process could take 12 to 18 months. Administrative integration comes first, followed by academic integration over roughly two years.
