Oregon ranks among the top 15 most educated states in the nation, outperforming states like California, Arizona and Texas. Forty percent of Oregonians are college educated, and the state’s workforce of more than 1 million is growing at six times the national average. 

Programs like Oregon Promise, a state grant that helps cover tuition costs at any of the state’s community colleges, create opportunities for more students to enter the workforce and propel the state’s industries into the future. 

Oregon’s community colleges provide certificates, two-year degrees, and training programs that prepare students with degrees and coursework to transfer to a four-year university.

With seven public universities and 17 community colleges across the state, students have access to a robust network of higher education institutions. The following is an overview of Oregon’s seven public universities, highlighting their unique attributes and offerings. 

Eastern Oregon University (EOU) La Grande

Officially designated as Oregon’s Rural University, EOU enrolls more than 2,800 students and offers more than 37 degree programs. The university is well known for its online education offerings, which include more than 22 degrees available 100% online. EOU was recently ranked by The Economist among the best value colleges in the Northwest for return on investment.

University of Oregon — Knight Campus

Image courtesy of the University of Oregon  

EOU will launch its new Agricultural Entrepreneurship degree program in the 2022 Fall semester. The program includes courses on marketing, finance and human resources, as well as courses in biology, chemistry and intensive agriculture management. Reflecting a major change in the national and international agricultural markets and the trade of agricultural products, this unique undergraduate degree program will equip the next generation of food producers to find success across this essential industry. 

Oregon Institute of Technology (Oregon Tech) Klamath Falls and Wilsonville

With two campuses in Klamath Falls and the Portland metro, Oregon’s only polytechnic university offers nearly 50 bachelor’s and advanced degree programs and enrolls approximately 4,900 students annually. Oregon Tech specializes in engineering, technology, healthcare, business, communication and applied sciences such as psychology and environmental science. 

Oregon Tech was recently ranked among the best schools in the nation in Forbes’ annual ranking of Top Colleges. The rankings list 600 schools — the top 20 percent of all four-year and graduate universities in the nation — with Oregon Tech listed at No. 292 overall and No. 133 of Public Colleges. Additionally, Oregon Tech ranks among the nation’s best universities in multiple categories in the 2021 U.S. News and World Report “Best Colleges” rankings. The report lists Oregon Tech at No. 2 Top Public College in the West, No. 10 Best Western Regional Colleges and No. 62 Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs.

Oregon State University (OSU) Corvallis and Bend

With 34,108 students enrolled in the 2021 Fall semester, Oregon State University is the largest in the state for the eighth consecutive year.   

The Arbor on the grounds of Western Oregon University campus

Photo courtesy of Western Oregon University

This year, OSU’s Fall 2021 enrollment reached record levels, with strong demand for in-person and online classes, a continued rise in students of color and surging interest in an OSU education from out-of-state students. The most popular undergraduate majors at Oregon State are computer science, followed by business administration, mechanical engineering, psychology and general engineering. General engineering is a program for entering undergraduates in the College of Engineering who will later select a specific engineering major.

Research funding at OSU has topped $380 million for the fifth straight fiscal year, and research expenditures by the university, a key measure of research output, rose despite the pandemic for the seventh consecutive year, increasing by 5%. The contributions of OSU research extend worldwide through programs such as real-time ocean monitoring, the development of spatial datasets that reveal short- and long-term climate trends, the national expansion of Oregon State’s TRACE-COVID-19 public health project, and a Physics Frontier Center that seeks to understand the universe through gravitational waves.

Portland State University (PSU) Portland

Located in the heart of Downtown Portland, PSU enrolls 23,900 students annually. PSU is one of the nation’s most innovative universities, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Portland’s public research university offers more than 200 degree programs and is the most diverse, innovative and affordable research universities in the state.

PSU has established a leadership position to help the Northwest combat cybersecurity threats. In 2020, PSU was designated as Oregon’s first and only National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Research by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security. In 2021, the NSA awarded PSU a new two-year, $2 million grant to establish a consortium of public, private and academic partners that will address cybersecurity issues related to smart grid infrastructure in the Pacific Northwest, Hawaii and Colorado. And in January 2022, PSU will launch a new cyber resilience certification for professionals.

Southern Oregon University (SOU) Ashland

Located in the Rogue Valley, SOU offers more than 120 undergraduate, minor, certificate and graduate degree programs. SOU’s Ashland campus is located in the foothills of the Cascade and Siskiyou Mountains, providing a unique backdrop to the university’s career-driven programs. Nearly 44% of the university’s admitted students are over the age of 25. 

The university recently launched a micro-credential program — part of an academic movement that promises to transform higher education. SOU’s micro-credentials range from Cinema Production Technology to Foundations of Professional Writing to Values-based Leadership. Most of the new micro-credentials require about 12 credit hours of coursework — which can stand alone or count toward students’ degree requirements.

Some include community workshops, service learning or other opportunities to apply skills and knowledge. They are typically brief, accessible programs that are considered “stackable” as learners achieve sets of discrete, demonstrable areas of expertise based on their career needs, professional goals or personal interests.

University of Oregon (UO) Eugene

Enrolling some 22,760 students a year, the University of Oregon is the state’s No. 1 public university for graduation rates. UO is also one of two Pacific Northwest Institutions in the prestigious Association of American Universities and a Tier 1 National Public Research University. 

The Peter Courtney Health and Wellness Center Western Oregon University campus

Photo courtesy of Western Oregon University

Earlier this year, the university’s Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact began phase two of its construction plans which will further expand the university’s strengths in bioengineering and applied scientific research and training. The Knight Campus was first launched in 2016, with the first of two $500 million gift from the Knights.

The campus embodies a new paradigm for scientific inquiry that accelerates the cycle of translating scientific discoveries into solutions that create societal impact. Every year, the Knight Campus enrolls 80 to 100 students who are pursuing master’s degrees while specializing in areas of materials science, bioinformatics and genomics, with an emphasis on hands-on training. 

Western Oregon University (WOU) Monmouth

The 157-acre campus of Western Oregon University, located in Monmouth, is the state’s oldest university and serves approximately 5,000 students annually. WOU is also the state’s No. 1 safest university campus. Since 2017, the university has made strategic changes to offer to become the most affordable public university in Oregon for resident undergraduates. In 2017, WOU ranked at second-highest relative to household income; WOU now ranks at second-lowest on the basis of the estimated total cost of attendance.

In 2019, WOU began its expansion into Salem with programs geared toward working adults. In September, the university officially opened its new WOU:Salem campus downtown, which is positioned to serve approximately 500 students. WOU:Salem now features two programs only offered on the Salem campus: a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Liberal Studies. Both of these programs offer hybrid courses to support working adults in completing degrees. 

In 2020, 117,469 students enrolled in fall semester classes at Kansas Board of Regent universities and technical colleges across the state. With 32 public higher education institutions (six state universities, one municipal university, 19 community colleges and six technical colleges) across the state, a high-quality and affordable education is easily within reach. 

The state’s graduation rates highlight its attitude toward education. The high school graduation rate in the U.S. is 87.7%, while Kansas’ rate surpasses the national average at 90.7%. More Kansans hold at least a bachelor’s degree as well, with 32.9% versus the national average of 31.5%. Additionally, more than 40% of adults over the age of 25 in Kansas have an associate degree. 

The following is an overview of the state’s public four-year universities. It provides a peek into the institutions’ unique impact on the state’s workforce pipelines, innovative markets and key industries. 

 University of Kansas

The University of Kansas (KU), the state’s flagship university and a premier research institution, has five campuses and several online offerings. The university’s main campus in Lawrence is considered one of the country’s most beautiful. KU has an additional campus in Overland Park, with three medical campus branches in Kansas City, Wichita and Salina. KU offers more than 200 undergraduate degrees and has more than 50 ranked graduate programs, with a total annual enrollment of 28,500 students. 

The university ranks highly for its academic programs and is one of only 36 public institutions in the Association of American Universities. KU’s distinguished record of research innovation runs the gamut with several core research labs, including the Animal Care Unit, Biopharmaceutical Innovation and Optimization Center, the Center for Research Computing, Infectious Disease Assay Development Core, the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Lab and many others. 

Kansas State University

Kansas State University (K-State) has earned national recognition over the years for its research capabilities. With more than 22,000 students enrolled in more than 250 academic undergraduate programs and more than 165 graduate degrees and certificate programs, the university is a crucial pipeline for the state’s talent needs. In 2020, K-State recorded its largest-ever number of engineering graduates and the most of any engineering school in the state. 

K-State operates four unique campuses, each with its own specialty and focus. The university’s main campus is in Manhattan, next door to the Fort Riley U.S. Army installation and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. 

The university’s campus in Olathe, located within the Kansas Bioscience Park, has a reputation for partnering with industries to develop new technologies and key innovations.

In addition, the K-State Polytechnic campus in Salina is known for its world-class aviation program and is one of the first and only in the country offering a bachelor’s degree in unmanned aircraft.  

Wichita State University

With a key focus on innovation and technology, Wichita State University (WSU) is a growing research university enrolling more than 20,000 students annually. WSU is located in the largest city in the state, with one of the highest concentrations of STEM jobs. For more than a decade, WSU has been one of the fastest-growing research universities in the country. Annual research funding tops $164 million at WSU and includes various industries, including bioscience, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, physics, and more.

WSU ranks fourth among all U.S. universities in aeronautical research and development expenditures and first in industry funding for aeronautical research. The Innovation Campus, part of Wichita State University’s main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and home to a number of global companies and organizations.

Additionally, WSU Tech — an affiliate of Wichita State — is the state’s leader in modern technical education, offering over 100 degree and certificate options in aviation, health care, manufacturing, design, information technology, police science and business. In addition, WSU Tech serves as managing partner of the National Center for Aviation Training (NCAT) in Wichita. 

Washburn University 

Washburn University, a municipal university in the heart of Topeka, enrolls just under 7,000 students in more than 200 academic programs. Washburn University is nationally recognized for its low-student debt, low student-to-faculty ratio, and affordability. 

Recently, education technology company EAB recognized Washburn University’s work on behalf of student achievement with its Student Success Collaborative – Technology Pioneer Award. The award recognizes an institution consistently on the leading edge in technology and testing new solutions to advance student success.

Washburn Institute of Technology offers professionaal courses with programs in advanced manufacturing, business, computer science and health care. 

Pittsburg State University 

With its Flat-Rate Tuition program, students at Pittsburg State University (PSU) pay a single tuition rate, regardless of how many credits are taken. The program allows full-time undergraduate and graduate students to take extra classes — even earn a double major — without spending more. Located in Pittsburg, the university enrolls approximately 6,500 annually. 

Home to the Kansas Polymer Research Center (KPRC) is internationally recognized for chemistry and materials science, specializing in bio-based polymer research and development. KPRC works with industry and government to develop and commercialize the university’s intellectual property. In August, the National Institute of Standards and Technology awarded a $1.4 million research grant to KPRC to develop and promote new polymeric materials and plastic processing materials. It will be used by the National Institute for Materials Advancement (NIMA), housed in the KPRC, which will leverage a 50-year history in polymers and plastics, the expertise of scientists who work there, and the assistance of students enrolled in one of the nation’s only polymer programs: the Polymer Chemistry Initiative. 

Emporia State University 

With more than 200 academic programs and 5,800 students enrolled each year, Emporia State University (ESU) offers students a high-quality and affordable education. ESU boasts the lowest student debt rate of all four-year universities in Kansas and is the only public university in the state to be named a College of Distinction. Additionally, ESU is ranked the No. 1 safest college campus in the state. 

In September, the university announced another year of a record-high number of graduate students. Data also showed continued record highs in student retention as well as the highest graduation rates recorded. Distance education, primarily at the graduate level, fueled growth to the university. Emporia State offers 13 accelerated online graduate programs. Of the students enrolled in these programs, 76% are Kansas residents.

Fort Hays State University

Fort Hays State University (FHSU) in Hays enrolls more than 15,900 students annually.  FHSU has the lowest tuition rates in the Kansas Board of Regents system and provides one of the nation’s best educational values. FHSU consistently ranks among the top regional universities in the Midwest.

In rankings released Sept. 13, 2021, by U.S. News & World Report, Emporia State University was the highest-ranked Kansas public regional institution and the only one that ranked in social mobility for its graduates.

In November, the university launched a new agribusiness MBA degree. The Robbins College of Business MBA program courses is offered in five accelerated, eight-week terms during the calendar year, providing more choice and flexibility. It helps students finish the program more quickly and has dedicated professional advisors to help guide students through the MBA process. The MBA program also has a rolling admission process that allows for multiple start dates throughout the year and does not require the GMAT or GRE.