Public · University

Southern Oregon University

Ashland, Oregon · Midsize suburb

#3 best value in Oregon
88.6%
Admit rate
$16,732
Avg net price
43%
Graduation rate
$49,175
Median earnings

Southern Oregon University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Ashland, Oregon (midsize suburb setting), enrolling 2,751 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 2,751 undergradsMidsize suburbAccessible · 89% admitNAIA Division II · Frontier ConferenceCold winters

About Ashland, Oregon

Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. Prior to the arrival of White settlers in mid-19th century, the Shasta people lived in the valley along Ashland Creek approximately where today's city is located. Early Hudson's Bay Company hunters and trappers following the Siskiyou Trail passed through the site in the 1820s. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival has grown from a summer outdoor series in the 1930s to a season that stretches from February to October, incorporating Shakespearean and non-Shakespearean plays at three theaters. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
131 miles to Eugene, OR
To the ocean
79 miles
Nearest airport
16 miles to Rogue Valley International-Medford (MFR)

How Southern Oregon University compares

Selectivity88.6%

More selective than 27% · #13 most selective of 23 in Oregon

Graduation rate43%

Higher than 27% · #20 of 22 in Oregon

First-year retention68%

Higher than 26%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$49,175

Higher than 36% · #20 of 24 in Oregon

Average net price$16,732

Cheaper than 65% · #3 cheapest of 21 in Oregon

Median debt at graduation$20,332

Lower than 73%

Student–faculty ratio23 : 1

Lower than 5%

Undergraduate enrollment2,751

Larger than 67%

Percentiles compare Southern Oregon 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

3,629students
  • Undergraduate2,75176%
  • Graduate87824%

Undergraduates by gender

2,751undergrads
  • Women1,70462%
  • Men1,04738%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White53%
  • Black1.7%
  • Hispanic14%
  • Asian1.6%
  • Other or multiracial29%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,751
Graduate enrollment
878
Student–faculty ratio
23 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
25%
First-generation students
40%
Students over 25
18%
Median family income
$32,578
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$87,489
Endowment
$39,813,671

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

Admissions

Admission rate
88.6%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$12,762
Out-of-state tuition
$31,887
Room & board
$16,968
Books & supplies
$999
Total cost of attendance
$27,636
Average net price
$16,732

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)
43%
Graduated on time (4 years)
21%
First-year retention
68%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$39,326
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$49,175
Median debt at graduation
$20,332
Students with federal loans
28%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
44%

About 22% 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
21%
Low-income (Pell)
39%
First-generation
38%

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
1,000
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
36%
Housing charge (year)
$9,948
Meal plan (year)
$6,300
Application fee
$60
Athletics
NAIA Division II
Football conference
Frontier Conference
Varsity athletes
443 (271 men · 172 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 (11)

Football118
Wrestling95
Soccer61
Basketball32
Softball27
Track and Field (Outdoor)22
Track and Field (Indoor)20
Golf19
Cross Country18
Volleyball17
Beach Volleyball14

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
21
Property offenses (2022–2024)
15

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (5,113 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.

12reported offenses a year
7.0 violent a year5.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
3.0
Fondling
2.7
Burglary
2.3
Motor vehicle theft
1.7
Aggravated assault
1.3
Arson
1.0

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
$11,830
$30–48k
$12,466
$48–75k
$15,813
$75–110k
$22,415
$110k+
$24,181

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
$75,293

$15,813/year × about 4.8 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.

86%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,096
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 86% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,096. 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 525 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)
$49,175
Typical debt at graduation
$20,332
Debt vs. one year's pay
41%
Out-earn a HS grad
53%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.1 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
$48,566
Men
$49,870

Men out-earn women by $1,304 (3%) 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
88°F
Winter low
29°F
Annual rain
19.5″
Annual snow
0.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.73.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Ashland, OR US station (2.2 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 Southern Oregon University

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

Colleges near Southern Oregon 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.