More selective than 26% of Oregon colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $21,590. College Scorecard.
Higher than 28% of Oregon colleges we cover and 47% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 45% of Oregon colleges we cover and 64% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Portland State University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 8,877 applicants, Portland State University admitted 8,070 and 1,580 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Portland State University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Oregon residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Portland State University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Portland State University took 4.4 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Oregon. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $7,655 | $33,835 | 1.6 years |
| $30–48k | $7,752 | $34,264 | 1.6 years |
| $48–75k | $8,981 | $39,696 | 1.9 years |
| $75–110k | $12,993 | $57,429 | 2.7 years |
| $110k+ | $19,112 | $84,475 | 4.0 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.4 years, the average time graduates took (35% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($57,906) minus $36,549 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in OR (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $21,357 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Portland State University majors, earnings & careers
Portland State University offers 72 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 17
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 12
- Business & Finance · 10
- Science & Math · 8
- Arts & Design · 7
- Engineering · 6
- Health & Medicine · 4
- Education · 3
- Technology & Computing · 3
- Communications & Media · 2
Highest-earning majors at Portland State University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $113,889 | $31,000 |
| Electrical Engineering | $101,905 | $29,593 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $94,223 | $29,113 |
| Physics | $87,488 | $29,070 |
| Civil Engineering | $86,084 | $31,000 |
| Finance | $79,727 | $20,570 |
| Accounting | $77,226 | $31,000 |
| Biochemistry | $75,765 | $25,000 |
Quick list of all 72 majors
- Accounting$77,226
- Anthropology$41,759
- Architecture$62,349
- Area Studies—
- Audiovisual Communications Technologies / Technicians—
- Biochemistry$75,765
- Biological and Physical Sciences$57,303
- Biology$54,934
- Business Administration$71,621
- Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other$70,765
- Chemistry$70,948
- Civil Engineering$86,084
- Communications$59,232
- Community Organization and Advocacy$51,066
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer Engineering—
- Computer Science$113,889
- Criminal Justice$58,109
- Dance—
- Data Science—
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)$39,563
- Economics$75,482
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Electrical Engineering$101,905
- English$43,342
- Environmental Engineering—
- Environmental Science / Conservation$58,961
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Film and Photography$41,639
- Finance$79,727
- General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations—
- Geography$54,310
- Geology / Earth Science$57,932
- German—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$56,158
- Health Administration—
- Health Sciences$59,961
- History$54,131
- Human Development and Family Studies$50,427
- Human Resources$68,274
- International / Global Studies—
- International Relations$56,436
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$50,949
- Linguistics$51,925
- Management Information Systems—
- Marketing$61,499
- Mathematics$68,280
- Mechanical Engineering$94,223
- Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$57,438
- Music$34,160
- Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution—
- Philosophy$50,191
- Physics$87,488
- Political Science$59,185
- Psychology$49,063
- Public Health$58,860
- Real Estate—
- Religious Studies—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Social Sciences$52,562
- Social Work$63,456
- Sociology$53,753
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$50,241
- Special Education—
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$59,563
- Studio Art$40,731
- Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language—
- Theatre$45,692
- Urban Studies / Affairs—
- Visual and Performing Arts, Other$51,248
- Writing—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Public Health → Health education specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Portland
Overall prices in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,878. Housing costs 25% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 44 inches of rain a year, 4 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: river flooding (relatively high); heat wave (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Multnomah County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Multnomah County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Portland State University with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Oregon by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland State University | 91% | $9,552 | 53% | $57,906 | This school |
| Oregon Institute of Technology | 95% | $15,706 | 54% | $72,273 | |
| University of Oregon | 88% | $22,182 | 72% | $61,324 | |
| Southern Oregon University | 89% | $16,732 | 43% | $49,175 | |
| Western Oregon University | 98% | $17,237 | 47% | $51,815 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Portland State University would cost you $6,154 less per year than Oregon Institute of Technology, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Portland State University, mostly from more Portland State University students living at home, which lowers its average (−$4,902).
- Portland State University gives aided families $220 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Oregon resident | Portland State University | OIT | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $11,679 | $13,260 | −$1,581 |
| Books & supplies | $798 | $1,000 | −$202 |
| Housing & meals | $13,728 | $11,604 | +$2,124 |
| Personal & travel | $2,259 | $3,632 | −$1,373 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$6,874 | −$1,972 | −$4,902 |
| Sticker price | $21,590 | $27,524 | −$5,934 |
| Average grants | −$12,038 | −$11,818 | −$220 |
| You pay | $9,552 | $15,706 | −$6,154 |
“+” means Portland State University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Portland State University
What is the Portland State University acceptance rate?
Portland State University accepts 91% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 8,070 of 8,877 applicants were admitted.
How much does Portland State University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $21,590 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $9,552 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $7,655 and families earning $110k+ pay $19,112.
How much do Portland State University graduates earn?
Former Portland State University students earn a median $57,906 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Portland State University graduation rate?
53% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 76% return for their second year.
How long does a Portland State University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Portland State University costs about $39,696 after grants ($8,981 a year for 4.4 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $57,906 ten years after starting, $21,357 more than high school graduates in Oregon ($36,549), so the cost is repaid in 1.9 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Portland State University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/portland-state-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).