Public · University

Portland State University

Portland, Oregon · Large city

#1 best value in Oregon
90.9%
Admit rate
$9,552
Avg net price
53%
Graduation rate
$57,906
Median earnings

Portland State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Portland, Oregon (large city setting), enrolling 13,182 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicMidsize · 13,182 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 91% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Big Sky Conference

About Portland, Oregon

Portland is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon. During the prehistoric period, the land that would become Portland was flooded after the collapse of glacial dams from Lake Missoula, in what would later become Montana. Portland is home to a range of classical performing arts institutions including the Portland Opera, Portland Baroque Orchestra, Oregon Symphony and Portland Youth Philharmonic; the last of these, established in 1924, was the first youth orchestra established in the United States. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
Portland, OR
To the ocean
51 miles
Nearest airport
7 miles to Portland (PDX) · major hub

How Portland State University compares

Selectivity90.9%

More selective than 22% · #16 most selective of 23 in Oregon

Graduation rate53%

Higher than 45% · #14 of 22 in Oregon

First-year retention76%

Higher than 50%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$57,906

Higher than 62% · #12 of 24 in Oregon

Average net price$9,552

Cheaper than 92% · #1 cheapest of 21 in Oregon

Median debt at graduation$20,500

Lower than 72%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment13,182

Larger than 91%

Percentiles compare Portland State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Oregon.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

17,719students
  • Undergraduate13,18274%
  • Graduate4,53726%

Undergraduates by gender

13,182undergrads
  • Women7,67758%
  • Men5,50542%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White47%
  • Black5.7%
  • Hispanic23%
  • Asian10%
  • Other or multiracial15%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
13,182
Graduate enrollment
4,537
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
42%
First-generation students
39%
Students over 25
33%
Median family income
$25,986
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$107,037
Endowment
$123,171,915

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 1,580 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Oregon80%
  • Other U.S. states19%
  • International1.5%

Most first-years stay in state — Portland State University draws overwhelmingly from Oregon.

2% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
90.9%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$11,679
Out-of-state tuition
$31,074
Room & board
$13,728
Books & supplies
$732
Total cost of attendance
$21,590
Average net price
$9,552

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
53%
Graduated on time (4 years)
34%
First-year retention
76%
Transferred to another college
24%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$46,937
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$57,906
Median debt at graduation
$20,500
Students with federal loans
32%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
46%

About 19% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
34%
Low-income (Pell)
46%
First-generation
45%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
2,032
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
15%
Housing charge (year)
$7,785
Meal plan (year)
$5,355
Application fee
$60
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Big Sky Conference
Varsity athletes
411 (242 men · 169 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (10)

Football118
Track and Field (Outdoor)73
Track and Field (Indoor)72
Soccer32
Basketball30
Cross Country27
Softball24
Tennis15
Volleyball14
Golf6

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
3.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
34
Property offenses (2022–2024)
183

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (19,951 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

72reported offenses a year
11 violent a year61 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
36
Motor vehicle theft
22
Aggravated assault
5.7
Robbery
3.7
Arson
2.7
Fondling
1.3
Rape
0.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$7,655
$30–48k
$7,752
$48–75k
$8,981
$75–110k
$12,993
$110k+
$19,112

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$40,695

$8,981/year × about 4.5 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

55%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,105
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 55% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,105. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,519 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$57,906
Typical debt at graduation
$20,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
35%
Out-earn a HS grad
62%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$54,420
Men
$63,060

Men out-earn women by $8,640 (16%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
81°F
Winter low
37°F
Annual rain
44.1″
Annual snow
3.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.67.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Portland Kgw-TV, OR US station (0.5 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Portland State University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Portland State University side by side →

Colleges near Portland State University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.