Public · University
Southern Oregon University
Ashland, Oregon · Midsize suburb
- 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.
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
More selective than 27% · #13 most selective of 23 in Oregon
Higher than 27% · #20 of 22 in Oregon
Higher than 26%
Higher than 36% · #20 of 24 in Oregon
Cheaper than 65% · #3 cheapest of 21 in Oregon
Lower than 73%
Lower than 5%
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
- Undergraduate2,75176%
- Graduate87824%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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 $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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Ashland, OR US station (2.2 mi from campus).
What Southern Oregon 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 Southern Oregon University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Southern Oregon University side by side →
SUNY College of Technology at Canton
Canton, New York · Remote town · 97 mi to Burlington
- Students
- 2,741
- Admission
- 92%
- Net price
- $15k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $48k
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Kearney, Nebraska · Distant town · 126 mi to Lincoln
- Students
- 4,088
- Admission
- 89%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1118
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $50k
Lewis-Clark State College
Lewiston, Idaho · Small city · 88 mi to Spokane
- Students
- 2,385
- Admission
- 88%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $46k
Pittsburg State University
Pittsburg, Kansas · Distant town · 79 mi to Springfield
- Students
- 4,210
- Admission
- 89%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1050
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $51k
Longwood University
Farmville, Virginia · Distant town · 55 mi to Richmond
- Students
- 3,015
- Admission
- 90%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1120
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $52k
Framingham State University
Framingham, Massachusetts · Small city · 19 mi to Worcester
- Students
- 2,566
- Admission
- 84%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1180
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $52k
Colleges near Southern Oregon University
Pacific Bible College
Medford, OR · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 22 students
Northwest College-Medford
Medford, OR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 95 students
Phagans Grants Pass College of Beauty
Grants Pass, OR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 43 students
Rogue Community College
Grants Pass, OR · Public · Associate · 3,559 students
Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR · Public · Bachelor's · 2,892 students
Klamath Community College
Klamath Falls, OR · Public · Certificate · 1,130 students
College of the Siskiyous
Weed, CA · Public · Associate · 1,190 students
Umpqua Community College
Roseburg, OR · Public · Certificate · 2,219 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.













