Bethany-area families tracking local college options will see a new name on Pacific University's Hillsboro campus.

Pacific and Willamette universities signed a merger agreement in July 2026 to form what both schools say will become Oregon's largest private university, serving more than 6,000 students across campuses in Forest Grove, Hillsboro, Salem, and Portland.

Pacific's Health Professions Campus sits in downtown Hillsboro, just miles from Westview, Sunset, and Mountainside high schools.

The campus houses programs in optometry, physical therapy, dental hygiene, and other healthcare fields where Oregon faces workforce shortages. Pacific is the only four-year university in Washington County.

The two schools first announced they were exploring a merger on December 11, 2025. Both governing boards unanimously approved the agreement in June 2026 and signed it in July, according to the Hillsboro News-Times. T

he merged institution will be provisionally called the University of the Northwest, pending regulatory and accreditor approvals.

What changes — and what doesn't

The universities will use a collegiate model: each school and college keeps its name, history, traditions, athletics programs, and admissions processes. Students applying to Pacific or Willamette for fall 2027 will use the same application process as before.

"This merger is built on shared values, complementary missions and a common purpose," Pacific President Jenny Coyle said. "As institutions across the country are having to do more with less, we decided we want to do more with more."

Coyle, a Pacific alumna who earned her bachelor's, master's, and Doctor of Optometry degrees there, will serve as president overseeing academics and student affairs. Willamette President Steve Thorsett will serve as chancellor overseeing business operations. A unified board of trustees will govern the combined institution.

Expanded programs

The merged university's academic portfolio will span liberal arts and sciences, business, law, education, computing and data science, art and design, and healthcare professions.

Willamette brings Oregon's oldest law school, founded in 1883 and located across the street from the State Capitol in Salem. Pacific brings the state's only optometry school and its Hillsboro-based health clinics in audiology, psychology, and optometry.

The combined alumni network will total more than 73,000 graduates.

Thorsett said both schools chose to combine strengths rather than cut programs, arguing the merger gives the university "the scale to thrive" while maintaining academic quality.

What's next

The legal combination is expected in early 2027. Full transition into a single university could take up to two years after that. Both schools will continue operating under their own accreditations, degree-granting authority, and federal financial aid programs during the transition.