Oregon State University: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Corvallis, Oregon · Public · Open access · CDS 2024-2025
Oregon State University is a public university in Corvallis, Oregon that admits about 79% of applicants, making it a open access school. The average family pays about $19,568 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Computer Science, Business Administration, Management and Operations and Mechanical Engineering, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 70% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 4.4 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Oregon State University is a public institution located in Corvallis, Oregon. For the most recent reporting cycle, Oregon State University admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 79%. Admitted students typically post an ACT composite around 25. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $19,568 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Oregon State University is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Oregon State University?
Oregon State University has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Oregon State University weight in admissions?
Oregon State University reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2024-2025). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Academic GPA
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Application essay
- • Character/personal qualities
- • Class rank
- • Standardized test scores
- • Recommendations
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Level of applicant's interest
- • Interview
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Geographical residence
- • State residency
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
SAT and ACT scores Oregon State University typically admits
Many applicants to schools in this tier submit test scores, though the policy varies by year — check the latest test-optional status before deciding.
| 25th percentile | 1160 |
| 50th percentile | 1280 |
| 75th percentile | 1390 |
| % submitting SAT | 10% |
| 25th percentile | 24 |
| 50th percentile | 27 |
| 75th percentile | 31 |
| % submitting ACT | 4% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
Where admitted students ranked in their high school class
Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort — often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.
| Top 10% of class | 29% |
| Top 25% of class | 58% |
| Top 50% of class | 88% |
| % submitting class rank | 51% |
How much does Oregon State University actually cost?
Published tuition is $13,494 for in-state students and $35,664 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $15,075 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $19,568 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 22% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | $12,675 |
| Out-of-state tuition | $37,860 |
| Room and board | $18,168 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $19,568 |
| Application fee | $65 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Oregon State University
| Regular deadline | 8/25 |
| Notification date | Rolling beginning 10/15 |
| Reply deadline | May 1 |
| Rolling admissions | Yes |
| Offers Early Action | Yes |
| EA deadline | 11/1 |
Will my child graduate from Oregon State University?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at Oregon State University
The most popular undergraduate programs at Oregon State University, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Computer Science, Business Administration, Management and Operations and Mechanical Engineering. Across all programs, Oregon State University confers roughly 2,612 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Computer Science program report a median income of about $109,905 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | 843 | $109,905 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 452 | $69,262 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 315 | $94,649 |
| Psychology, General | 275 | $49,486 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 205 | $49,012 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 194 | $60,964 |
| Biology, General | 184 | $54,017 |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs | 144 | $103,024 |
Is Oregon State University safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Oregon State University disclosed 135 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 4.4 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 18 violent offenses and 31 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
What is campus life like at Oregon State University?
About 17% of undergraduates at Oregon State University live in campus housing, so a meaningful share of students commute or live off campus. In Greek life, 14% of men join a fraternity and 15% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in Oregon parents ask about
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Oregon State University
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Oregon State University recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Oregon State University
What GPA do I need for Oregon State University?
Oregon State University has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission.
What SAT or ACT score does Oregon State University typically admit?
Oregon State University does not publish standardized test ranges in the most recent reporting cycle. Test-optional policies have made scores less universally required, but submitting strong scores still helps when available.
How much does Oregon State University actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Oregon State University after grants and scholarships is $19,568 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Oregon State University realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Oregon State University is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Oregon State University?
Oregon State University accepts about 79% of applicants out of roughly 30,293 who apply each year. It admits the majority of qualified applicants.
Is Oregon State University test-optional?
Yes. Oregon State University is test-optional, so SAT and ACT scores are not required, but strong scores can still be submitted and will be considered.
What is the graduation rate at Oregon State University?
About 70% of students at Oregon State University graduate within six years, and 47% finish in four years. 88% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
What does Oregon State University look for in applicants?
Oregon State University rates GPA as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is Oregon State University a public or private school, and where is it located?
Oregon State University is a public institution located in Corvallis, Oregon.
What are the most popular majors at Oregon State University?
The largest undergraduate majors at Oregon State University by annual graduates are Computer Science, Business Administration, Management and Operations and Mechanical Engineering. The school awards about 2,612 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Oregon State University safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Oregon State University reported 135 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 4.4 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at Oregon State University?
At Oregon State University, 17% of undergraduates live on campus, 14% of men are in fraternities, 15% of women are in sororities, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Oregon State University, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.