More selective than 42% 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 $27,636. College Scorecard.
Higher than 6% of Oregon colleges we cover and 29% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 10% of Oregon colleges we cover and 38% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
SOU acceptance rate & admissions
Of 3,564 applicants, Southern Oregon University admitted 2,946 and 657 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
SOU 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 SOU costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Southern Oregon University took 4.3 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 | $11,830 | $51,342 | 4.1 years |
| $30–48k | $12,466 | $54,102 | 4.3 years |
| $48–75k | $15,813 | $68,628 | 5.4 years |
| $75–110k | $22,415 | $97,281 | 7.7 years |
| $110k+ | $24,181 | $104,946 | 8.3 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (31% 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 ($49,175) minus $36,549 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in OR (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $12,626 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.
SOU majors, earnings & careers
Southern Oregon University offers 48 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 10
- Humanities & Languages · 9
- Science & Math · 8
- Business & Finance · 7
- Arts & Design · 5
- Health & Medicine · 3
- Communications & Media · 2
- Education · 2
- Technology & Computing · 2
Highest-earning majors at SOU
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences | $75,596 | $33,500 |
| Business Administration | $65,171 | $27,000 |
| Mathematics | $64,748 | — |
| Biology | $63,008 | $27,000 |
| Social Sciences | $61,526 | $27,167 |
| Criminal Justice | $59,008 | $22,000 |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $57,299 | $23,000 |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $53,584 | $28,906 |
Quick list of all 48 majors
- Accounting—
- Anthropology—
- Applied Mathematics—
- Biology$63,008
- Broadcasting / Digital Media—
- Business—
- Business Administration$65,171
- Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other—
- Chemistry—
- Communications$49,511
- Computer and Information Sciences$75,596
- Criminal Justice$59,008
- Economics—
- Education—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$53,584
- English$49,706
- Environmental Science / Conservation$44,945
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Film and Photography—
- Food Science and Technology—
- Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other—
- Geography—
- Health Administration—
- History$43,195
- Human Resources—
- Human Services—
- Interdisciplinary Studies—
- International / Global Studies—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$57,299
- Management Information Systems—
- Mathematics$64,748
- Mathematics and Computer Science—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$52,763
- Music$36,201
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies$36,135
- Physics—
- Political Science—
- Pre-Med / Pre-Health—
- Psychology$48,217
- Social Sciences$61,526
- Sociology—
- Sociology and Anthropology$43,982
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Studio Art—
- Sustainability Studies—
- Theatre$38,487
- Visual and Performing Arts$43,044
- 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
Education (Elementary / Secondary) → Elementary school teacher
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to shrink 0.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Medford
Overall prices in the Medford, OR area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,539. Housing costs 2% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 20 inches of rain a year, almost no snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: wildfire (relatively high); winter weather (very high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Jackson County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Jackson County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare SOU 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Oregon University | 89% | $16,732 | 43% | $49,175 | This school |
| Eastern Oregon University | 98% | $17,148 | 43% | $50,112 | |
| Oregon Institute of Technology | 95% | $15,706 | 54% | $72,273 | |
| Western Oregon University | 98% | $17,237 | 47% | $51,815 | |
| Oregon State University-Cascades Campus | 63% | $18,048 | 56% | $64,010 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Southern Oregon University would cost you $416 less per year than Eastern Oregon University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Southern Oregon University, mostly from higher housing & meal costs (+$4,590).
- Southern Oregon University gives aided families $1,334 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Oregon resident | SOU | EOU | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $12,762 | $11,076 | +$1,686 |
| Books & supplies | $999 | $1,275 | −$276 |
| Housing & meals | $16,248 | $11,658 | +$4,590 |
| Personal & travel | $1,500 | $4,584 | −$3,084 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,873 | −$1,875 | −$1,998 |
| Sticker price | $27,636 | $26,718 | +$918 |
| Average grants | −$10,904 | −$9,570 | −$1,334 |
| You pay | $16,732 | $17,148 | −$416 |
“+” means SOU 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 SOU
What is the SOU acceptance rate?
Southern Oregon University accepts 89% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 2,946 of 3,564 applicants were admitted.
How much does Southern Oregon University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $27,636 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $16,732 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $11,830 and families earning $110k+ pay $24,181.
How much do SOU graduates earn?
Former Southern Oregon University students earn a median $49,175 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the SOU graduation rate?
43% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 68% return for their second year.
How long does a SOU degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Southern Oregon University costs about $68,628 after grants ($15,813 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $49,175 ten years after starting, $12,626 more than high school graduates in Oregon ($36,549), so the cost is repaid in 5.4 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: “Southern Oregon University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/southern-oregon-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).