National university
Portland State University
Portland, OR · Public · 4-year
Your real cost
Average price after aid $9,552 a year
Median debt at graduation: $20,500 (all students)
Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator
Campus tour
PSU Campus Tour · From the college’s official YouTube channel. Plays from YouTube when you tap it.
Academic Excellence
Each measure counts for the share shown.
- Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.53%
- First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.76%
- Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.Not reported
- Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.17 to 1
- Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$13,280
Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.
Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))
What families pay, by income
Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.
| Family income | Price after aid |
|---|---|
| Up to $30,000 | |
| $30,001–$48,000 | |
| $48,001–$75,000 | |
| $75,001–$110,000 | |
| Over $110,000 |
Full cost of attendance before aid: $21,590 a year.
Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.
Cost and value
Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.
| Undergraduate students Fall enrollment (IPEDS) | 15,960 |
|---|---|
| Men and women Undergraduates, fall 2023 (College Scorecard) | Men 44% · Women 56% |
| First-generation students Share of students who are first-generation, by the College Scorecard’s definition | 39% |
| First-year students from another state Of first-time students whose home is a U.S. state, fall 2023 (IPEDS) | 19% |
| Total students | 20,519 |
| Average net price (per year) After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid | $9,552 |
| Cost of attendance (per year) | $21,590 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $20,500 |
| Graduation rate First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time | 53% |
| Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard) | 49% |
| Graduation rate for first-generation students Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard) | 48% |
| Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years Borrowers who repaid at least $1 of principal within 3 years (College Scorecard) | 54% |
| First-year retention | 76% |
| Median earnings 10 years after entry | $57,906 |
| Admission rate | 91% |
| Application fee Undergraduate application fee, 2023–24 (IPEDS) | $60 |
| Students receiving Pell grants | 42% |
Value: Exceptional · Top 7% (how it’s computed)
Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.
Earnings by major
Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).
| Major | Median earnings |
|---|---|
| Computer science | |
| Electrical engineering | |
| Mechanical engineering | |
| Physics | |
| Civil engineering | |
| Finance | |
| Accounting | |
| Biochemistry | |
| Economics | |
| Business administration | |
| Chemistry | |
| Other business, management, marketing, and related support services | |
| Mathematics | |
| Human resources | |
| Social work | |
| Architecture | |
| Marketing | |
| Health sciences | |
| Speech-language pathology | |
| Communication studies | |
| Political science | |
| Natural resources and conservation | |
| Public health | |
| Criminal justice | |
| Geology and earth science | |
| Interdisciplinary studies | |
| Biological and physical sciences | |
| International relations | |
| Design | |
| Biology | |
| Geography | |
| History | |
| Sociology | |
| Social sciences | |
| Linguistics | |
| Other visual and performing arts | |
| Community Organization and Advocacy | |
| Liberal arts | |
| Family and human development | |
| Romance languages | |
| Philosophy | |
| Psychology | |
| Theatre | |
| English | |
| Anthropology | |
| Film and video | |
| Fine arts | |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | |
| Music |
Also offered (no earnings published yet): Area studies, Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians, Computer engineering, Computing and information science, Dance, Data Science, Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering, Ethnic and gender studies, General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations, German, Global studies, Health administration, Management information systems, Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution, Real Estate, Religious studies, Secondary education, Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Special education, Teaching English as a second language, Urban Studies/Affairs, Writing and rhetoric.
What students study most
Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).
| Field | Share of degrees |
|---|---|
| Business | |
| Social sciences | |
| Psychology | |
| Health professions | |
| Visual and performing arts |
Campus life
| School colors | |
|---|---|
| Setting | City |
| Part-time undergraduates | 24% |
| Undergraduates aged 25 and older | 33% |
| On-campus room and board (per year) | $13,728 |
| Sports | NCAA Division I · Big Sky Conference |
| ROTC | Army |
| Study abroad | Offered |
| Students per faculty member | 17 to 1 |
| Faculty who are full-time | 57%Of instructional faculty, fall 2023 (College Scorecard) |
| Endowment per student | $7,106Endowment at the end of fiscal year 2023, per full-time-equivalent student (IPEDS) |
| Dorm space | For about 13% of studentsCampus beds divided by undergraduate enrollment. Not how many students live on campus (IPEDS) |
| Nearest airport with scheduled flights | Portland International Airport (PDX)About 7 miles away in a straight line (OurAirports) |
| Town population | 641,1652020–2024 five-year estimate (U.S. Census Bureau) |
| Nearest city of 250,000 people or more | PortlandThe campus is in or next to this city |
| Average temperature in January | 42°F1991–2020 normal, from PORTLAND KGW-TV, OR US, about 0 miles away (NOAA) |
| Average temperature in July | 69°F1991–2020 normal, from PORTLAND KGW-TV, OR US, about 0 miles away (NOAA) |
Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.
Campus safety reports
On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.
| Category | This campus | U.S. rate |
|---|---|---|
| Rape | 0.05 | 0.07 |
| Robbery | 0.10 | 0.01 |
| Aggravated assault | 0.20 | 0.04 |
| Burglary | 1.80 | 0.08 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 1.00 | 0.15 |
Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.
Questions families ask
- What is Portland State University’s Compass Score?
- Good (grade B-). The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
- How much does Portland State University cost after financial aid?
- The average net price is $9,552 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
- How hard is it to get into Portland State University?
- Portland State University admitted 91% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
- How do Portland State University’s graduates do?
- 53% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $57,906; the median federal debt at graduation is $20,500.
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About this school’s data
- IPEDS unit ID 209807
- Carnegie classification: Doctoral university (high research)
- Accreditation: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
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