The Most Affordable Colleges in Oregon That Actually Graduate Their Students

Oregon State University offers the strongest combination of affordability and graduation rate among public colleges in Oregon, graduating 71% of students within six years at $15,685 in-state tuition. This ranking covers Oregon’s public four-year colleges, ranked by six-year graduation rate per thousand dollars of in-state tuition, using federal IPEDS data.

Rank	College	City	6-Year Grad Rate	In-State Tuition	Out-of-State Tuition	Median ACT
1	Oregon State University	Corvallis	71%	$15,685	$30,481	N/A
2	University of Oregon	Eugene	71%	$18,495	$31,455	27
3	Oregon Institute of Technology	Klamath Falls	59%	$15,906	$25,275	26
4	Portland State University	Portland	53%	$16,854	$22,296	N/A
5	Southern Oregon University	Ashland	44%	$16,461	$19,296	N/A
6	Western Oregon University	Monmouth	45%	$18,432	$18,432	N/A
7	Eastern Oregon University	La Grande	37%	$18,378	$18,378	N/A

1. Oregon State University

Corvallis, Oregon

Oregon State University graduates 71% of its students within six years at an in-state tuition of $15,685 per year. Out-of-state students pay $30,481.

https://oregonstate.edu/

2. University of Oregon

Eugene, Oregon

University of Oregon graduates 71% of its students within six years at an in-state tuition of $18,495 per year. Out-of-state students pay $31,455. Median ACT: 27.

https://www.uoregon.edu/

3. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, Oregon

Oregon Institute of Technology graduates 59% of its students within six years at an in-state tuition of $15,906 per year. Out-of-state students pay $25,275. Median ACT: 26.

https://www.oit.edu/

4. Portland State University

Portland, Oregon

Portland State University graduates 53% of its students within six years at an in-state tuition of $16,854 per year. Out-of-state students pay $22,296.

https://www.pdx.edu/

5. Southern Oregon University

Ashland, Oregon

Southern Oregon University graduates 44% of its students within six years at an in-state tuition of $16,461 per year. Out-of-state students pay $19,296.

https://www.sou.edu/

6. Western Oregon University

Monmouth, Oregon

Western Oregon University graduates 45% of its students within six years at an in-state tuition of $18,432 per year. Out-of-state students pay $18,432.

https://wou.edu/

7. Eastern Oregon University

La Grande, Oregon

Eastern Oregon University graduates 37% of its students within six years at an in-state tuition of $18,378 per year. Out-of-state students pay $18,378.

https://www.eou.edu/

How were these colleges ranked?

These rankings score each public four-year college in Oregon by dividing its six-year graduation rate by its in-state tuition per thousand dollars. A school graduating 60% of students at $10,000 in-state tuition scores 6.0; one graduating 60% at $20,000 scores 3.0. Higher score means more degree completions per dollar spent.

Data comes from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the federal government’s official higher education database. Graduation rates reflect the most recent six-year cohort. Only public four-year bachelor’s-granting institutions with at least 100 students in the graduation cohort are included. The ranking covers 9 qualifying public institutions in Oregon.

Source: IPEDS — National Center for Education Statistics

Data from IPEDS 2022 reporting year. Published September 2026.

---