Oregon State University

Overview

Rankings

• #1 Best Computer Science Colleges in Oregon
• #1 Best Data Science Colleges in Oregon
• #3 Best Bachelor's Programs in Oregon
• #3 Best Master's Programs in Oregon
• #3 Best Online Colleges in Oregon
• #4 Best Colleges in Oregon
• #4 Best Business Colleges in Oregon
• #4 Best Education Colleges in Oregon

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into Oregon State University? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

As a public institution in Corvallis, Oregon, Oregon State University admits most of the students who apply; the acceptance rate is roughly 77%. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,290. The graduation rate is roughly 70%.

Acceptance Rate

77%

Retention Rate

88%

SAT Average

1290

ACT Midpoint

25

SAT Range

1140–1400

ACT Range

24–31

Full-Time Faculty

78%

Faculty Salary (mo)

$11,437

Student–Faculty Ratio

19:1

Diversity Index

0.57

First-Gen Students

31%

Applicants

25,651

Admitted

21,169

Inside the Admissions Office

School-reported Common Data Set · 2024-25

The acceptance rate tells you how hard Oregon State University is to get into. Its Common Data Set tells you what happens once you are admitted: how many students say yes, how many arrived without test scores, and whether applying early tilts the odds. 20% of admitted students go on to enroll here, making it a school most admitted students ultimately pass on.

Yield Rate

20%

of admits enroll

Submitted SAT

10%

of enrolled freshmen

Submitted ACT

4%

of enrolled freshmen

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Oregon State University? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Oregon State University is $38,190, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $19,604. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $12,107 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $21,221 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition

$14,400

Out-of-State

$38,190

Avg Net Price

$19,604

Median Debt

$21,221

Pell Grant Rate

23%

Federal Loan Rate

33%

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Oregon State University — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Graduate Outcomes

Is Oregon State University Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Oregon State University earn a median of $64,010, roughly in line with the national average for college graduates.

6 Years After Entry

$50,843

8 Years

$57,210

10 Years

$64,010

Debt-to-Earnings

0.33x

Earning > $25K

71%

Social Mobility

Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records

Does Oregon State University Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Oregon State University is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 1.65%, well above the typical college. About 5% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 32.7% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $100,600, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate

1.65%

Bottom 20% → Top 20%

Success Rate

32.7%

If bottom 20% get in

From Bottom 20%

5.0%

Share of students

Parent Median Income

$136,680

today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is Oregon State University? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Oregon State University. Its economic connectedness score is 1.60, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (-0.02), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 7% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness

1.60

Cross-class friendships

Friending Bias

-0.02

Lower = more inclusive

Volunteering Rate

7.0%

Support Ratio

0.99

Community support

Innovation & Knowledge Creation

Patents, inventors, and research influence · Opportunity Insights & Times Higher Education

Research Score

24/100

Times Higher Ed

Academic Influence

64/100

Citation impact (THE)

Industry Engagement

31/100

Knowledge transfer (THE)

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Top Programs

The fields Oregon State University awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

• Computer Science & IT 17% $87,268 early-career
• Engineering 14% $86,780 early-career
• Business & Marketing 12% $63,648 early-career
• Biology & Biomedical 7% $38,083 early-career
• Psychology 7% $36,334 early-career
• Education 5% $43,569 early-career
• Social Sciences 4% $49,829 early-career
• Health Professions 4% $147,481 early-career

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.