Public · University
Portland State University
Portland, Oregon · Large city
- 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).
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
More selective than 22% · #16 most selective of 23 in Oregon
Higher than 45% · #14 of 22 in Oregon
Higher than 50%
Higher than 62% · #12 of 24 in Oregon
Cheaper than 92% · #1 cheapest of 21 in Oregon
Lower than 72%
Lower than 23%
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
- Undergraduate13,18274%
- Graduate4,53726%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Portland Kgw-TV, OR US station (0.5 mi from campus).
What Portland State University graduates study — and earn
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 →
Oakland University
Rochester Hills, Michigan · Large suburb · 25 mi to Detroit
- Students
- 12,351
- Admission
- 88%
- Net price
- $9k
- SAT
- 1120
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $59k
California State University-Dominguez Hills
Carson, California · Small city · 13 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 12,538
- Admission
- 93%
- Net price
- $9k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $57k
University of Houston-Downtown
Houston, Texas · Large city · 1 mi to Houston
- Students
- 12,555
- Admission
- 90%
- Net price
- $11k
- SAT
- 1029
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $54k
California State University-San Marcos
San Marcos, California · Large suburb · 29 mi to San Diego
- Students
- 14,877
- Admission
- 95%
- Net price
- $10k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $63k
Ferris State University
Big Rapids, Michigan · Remote town · 51 mi to Grand Rapids
- Students
- 8,106
- Admission
- 91%
- Net price
- $9k
- SAT
- 1012
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $55k
Texas Woman's University
Denton, Texas · Midsize city · 35 mi to Fort Worth
- Students
- 8,767
- Admission
- 96%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $57k
Colleges near Portland State University
East West College of the Healing Arts
Portland, OR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 236 students
Portland Actors Conservatory
Portland, OR · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 11 students
National University of Natural Medicine
Portland, OR · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 41 students
Oregon Health & Science University
Portland, OR · Public · Bachelor's · 836 students
Aveda Institute-Portland
Portland, OR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 238 students
Pacific Northwest College of Art
Portland, OR · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 420 students
Beau Monde Academy of Barbering and Cosmetology
Portland, OR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 92 students
Carrington College-Portland
Portland, OR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 254 students
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.











