After a series of meetings in Lee's home, the by-laws were adopted and board of trustees elected and the institute was officially established on February 1, 1842.

Railroad tracks are located directly east of the institution, with the Salem Amtrak Station near the southeastern edge of campus.

[19] Additional properties outside of the core area are the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, the Oregon Civic Justice Center, the Tokyo International University of America campus, and several residential buildings.

Administrative offices are found in the Putnam University Center and Waller Hall, Willamette's oldest building.

Undergraduate students are under contract to live on campus for two years, after which they may move into private residence or one of the university's apartment complexes.

Starting across 12th Street and flowing through the length of the campus, it passes by the Martha Springer Botanical Garden, the Hatfield Library, Hudson Hall, the University Center, Smith Auditorium and Goudy Commons.

As part of the freshman matriculation ceremony, new students place a lit candle into the Mill Stream and watch it float downstream.

[28] In terms of merit-based aid, the majority of Willamette scholarships and grants are awarded to students with demonstrated financial need.

For example, students earn credit as political interns at the Oregon State Capitol, across the street from campus; study the effects of climate change at the nearby research forest; or conduct epidemiology surveys for the local health department.

[38] Co-located with Tokyo International University of America, Willamette offers opportunities for students interested in Japanese language and culture, and connections to Asia and the Pacific Rim.

[39] Carson Grants offer undergraduates the opportunity to undertake a scholarly, creative, or professional research project during the summer,[40] and the Lilly Project provides grants, internships and programs to help students discern their "calling in life" and create meaningful professional paths.

[42] Eleven faculty members have been named Oregon Professor of the Year by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) since 1990.

[44] Atkinson and the College of Law offer a joint-degree program that allows students to earn both an MBA and Juris Doctor.

[46] Willamette University has many active club and intramural sports on its campus, including rugby, poi spinning, ultimate frisbee, basketball, and others.

In 1942, G. Herbert Smith, a member of Beta Theta Pi, became President of Willamette, and invited more fraternities and sororities onto campus.

[citation needed] Chi Omega was transformed into a multicultural oriented residence known as WISH (Willamette International Studies House).

[50] In the spring of 2014, Alpha Phi accepted an invitation from the university's Panhellenic Council to reorganize their chapter on Willamette's campus.

In the fall of 2014, Beta Theta Pi began recolonization of its chapter on Willamette's campus with the consent of the university's Inter-Fraternity council.

[citation needed] Greek life at Willamette came under national scrutiny in 2013 when Facebook messages from one fraternity, Sigma Chi, were leaked.

The messages were sexist in nature and included demands for Sigma Chi brothers to "invite any girl who has a pulse" to an upcoming party and that "women's [sic] rights are the biggest joke in the US."

[53] In the aftermath, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Sigma Chi at Willamette fifth on its list of "The Most Out of Control Fraternities in America".

[45] Also that year, the football team finished its best season losing in the NAIA National Championship game to the University of Findlay 14–7.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Willamette's football team was in Honolulu, Hawaii, for the Shrine Bowl when Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor.

Team members and fans who had made the trip volunteered for 10 days following the attack as guards at Punahou School and nurses at the U.S. Navy hospital.

[63] Notable alumni from Willamette include a range of people involved in business, government, education, science, sports, art and entertainment.

Business leaders include James Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems,[64] and Alex J. Mandl, the executive chairman of digital security company Gemalto.

California Democratic congressman Sam Farr who served from 1993 through 2017, successfully introduced the 2007 "Oceans Conservation, Education and National Strategy for the 21st Century Act."

[75] Notable alumni in science include Gerald L. Pearson (Physics 1926),[76] and Daryl Chapin (Physics 1927),[77] both of whom were co-inventors of the silicon solar cell at AT&T Bell Laboratories in 1954. Notable alumni involved in athletics include Cal Lee, linebackers coach for the University of Hawaii football team, who graduated from Willamette in 1970.

[78] A graduate of the class of 1999, Liz Heaston, made history at Willamette as the first female to play and score in a men's NAIA college football game in 1997.

[79] Nick Symmonds won seven NCAA Division III 800-meter championships during his undergraduate years at Willamette before going on to win the 2008 Olympic Track and Field Trials.