Small colleges in Oregon are a great option for students interested in a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Whether the focus is on the technical or on the liberal arts, small colleges give you the chance to pursue a well-rounded education while working closely with classmates and professors in a dynamic community atmosphere.
Oregon is home to over 40 higher education institutions, including Oregon State University, the largest in the state. More than 30,000 students are enrolled at this public research institution in Corvallis, and with a tuition of $11,000, the school comes in slightly above the national average. Students attending the next largest, the University of Oregon, will join in on a friendly intrastate rivalry against Oregon State. Though the tuition is higher at $12,000, the school boasts a student-faculty ratio of 16:1.
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Of the 21 private institutions, 10 are religiously based. Concordia University has the largest student population at just under 5,000 and a tuition of $31,000. Students who attend this private Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod university can study fields such as chemistry, psychology, and history. Oregon’s community colleges range in tuition from $4,000 to $6,000. The least expensive four-year institution in the state, Portland State University (PSU), comes in at $8,000. Students attending PSU can study a range of fields, including environmental engineering, film, and international business, right in the heart of the city.
Gaze at the Pacific Ocean from the Oregon Coast Highway, which travels along the entire coastal edge of the state. Taste Pacific Northwest wines from the Willamette Valley, or take a bike ride through the streets of Portland. Students looking to earn their associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in The Beaver State can enjoy a great higher education experience set against a stunning natural backdrop.
Discover what Oregon has to offer, and find a college that fits your career interests as well as your budget.
The following list of the best small colleges and universities in Oregon is composed mainly of four-year undergraduate schools (though a handful also offer graduate programs). We’ve identified 14 small colleges in Oregon. The list below of the best small colleges in Oregon. To be included schools must fully accredited, and must have student body populations below 5,000 students.
Tuition + fees
$63K
Acceptance
42%
Graduation
77%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1422/32
Reed College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$44K
Acceptance
80%
Graduation
74%
Student body
2K
Willamette University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$50K
Acceptance
77%
Graduation
84%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1250/26
University of Portland’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$57K
Acceptance
80%
Graduation
74%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1310/29
Lewis & Clark College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$11K
Acceptance
90%
Graduation
47%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1090/21
Southern Oregon University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
79%
Graduation
45%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1060/20
Western Oregon University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$50K
Acceptance
89%
Graduation
64%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1160/23
Pacific University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
94%
Graduation
28%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1037/20
Eastern Oregon University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$11K
Acceptance
95%
Graduation
51%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1100/23
Oregon Institute of Technology’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$46K
Acceptance
80%
Graduation
75%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1135/23
Linfield University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$39K
Acceptance
91%
Graduation
66%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1150/23
George Fox University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
48%
Graduation
50%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1125/22
Corban University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$32K
Acceptance
68%
Graduation
51%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1081/19
Bushnell University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$20K
Acceptance
100%
Graduation
38%
Student body
<1K
Warner Pacific University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utiulized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.