Colleges that pay for themselves fastest in Oregon

Colleges ranked by how many years of extra earnings, above a high school graduate’s, cover four years of net price.

Colleges that pay for themselves fastest in Oregon9 schools

9 schools qualify, ranked by payback years.

How this list is made

Schools in Oregon.
Accredited four-year undergraduate colleges.
Academic Excellence grade B+ or better (the top 35% of rated colleges).
Has median earnings ten years after enrolling and a net price from federal data (College Scorecard), and those earnings are above a high school graduate’s ($48,360 a year: median weekly earnings of $930 for full-time workers with a high school diploma, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024).
Each school needs a complete Compass Score, so every row shows a rating.
Payback years = four years of net price ÷ (earnings − a high school graduate’s earnings). Ordered by payback years, fewest first. A simple estimate: it leaves out interest, taxes and earnings growth.

Updated Oct. 20, 2026. Methodology. Spot an error? Send a correction.

School	Net price a year	Median debt	Earnings 10 years out	Graduation rate
University of Portland	$28,210	$21,370	$82,804	80%
Linfield University	$26,536	$25,000	$78,638	70%
Oregon State University	$19,604	$21,221	$64,010	70%
University of Oregon	$22,182	$20,139	$61,324	72%
Reed College	$33,013	$21,500	$62,927	71%
Lewis & Clark College	$36,013	$19,500	$62,205	75%
George Fox University	$31,679	$24,250	$59,761	72%
Pacific University	$35,273	$23,223	$60,583	67%
Willamette University	$25,121	$21,500	$56,911	71%

Net price is the average yearly cost after grants. Federal data (College Scorecard). “—” means the school reports no figure.