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Portland State University: cost, admission and results

Portland State University is a public college in Portland, Oregon. It has about 13,182 undergraduate students. It admits 91% of applicants. The average net price for students with federal aid is $8,337 a year.

At a glance

  • 91%Admission rate
  • $8,337Net price a year
  • 53%Graduation rate
  • $62,447Median earnings, 10 years on
Location
Portland, Oregon 97201
Type
Public
Degrees
Mostly bachelor's degrees (four-year)
Setting
Large city
Undergraduate students
13,182
Graduate students
4,537
Students per teacher
17 to 1
Accredited by
Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Website
pdx.edu

Getting in

Portland State University admits 91% of those who apply, which makes it open to most applicants. The median admission rate of colleges on this site that report one is 77%. The midpoint ACT score is 21 out of 36.

What it costs

Tuition and fees, students from Oregon$12,315
Tuition and fees, students from elsewhere$32,565
Room and meals on campus$15,783
Books and supplies$750
Average full cost of a year (tuition, living, books), before aid$20,561
Average net price after grants and scholarships$8,337

The net price is what students who got federal aid paid on average for a year after grants and scholarships were taken off (for a public college, students from inside the state). It is 53% below the median net price of colleges in Oregon on this site ($17,796). International students are normally charged the out-of-state tuition and do not receive US federal aid.

Net price by family income

Family income a yearAverage net price
Up to $30,000$6,255
$30,001 to $48,000$5,757
$48,001 to $75,000$7,522
$75,001 to $110,000$10,215
Above $110,000$17,621

For students who received federal aid. A negative figure means grants were larger than the cost counted.

For an estimate that fits your own family, use the college's net price calculator.

Results

MeasureThis collegeOR medianUS median
Students who come back for a second year76%72%73%
Students who finish their degree (within one and a half times the normal length)53%43%49%
Median earnings 10 years after starting$62,447$54,657$53,132
Median federal loan debt of those who finish$19,489$18,948$19,994

Medians are the middle value of the colleges on this site in Oregon and in the whole country. Completion and return rates count first-time, full-time students. Earnings and debt count students who received federal aid.

The students

46% of undergraduates receive a Pell Grant, the federal grant for students from lower-income families. 32% take a federal student loan. The undergraduate body is 56% women and 44% men. By undergraduate numbers it is number 4 of the 39 colleges in Oregon on this site that report a size; the middle-sized one has 1,592.

Other colleges in Oregon of a similar size

Common questions

What is the acceptance rate of Portland State University?

Portland State University admits 91% of applicants, according to the College Scorecard.

How much is tuition at Portland State University?

Published tuition and fees are $12,315 a year for students from Oregon and $32,565 for others. Most students with aid pay less: see the net price.

What is the graduation rate of Portland State University?

53% of first-time, full-time students finish within one and a half times the normal length of the course.

Source: College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education, data released on 2 November 2026; checked in November 2026. Net price, debt and earnings describe students who received US federal aid. Costs change each year. This is official data for general information, not advice: confirm costs and admission rules on the college's own website and at collegescorecard.ed.gov.

All colleges in Oregon How to read these figures