University of Portland

University of Portland ranked top Oregon University in Forbes’s “Best Value Colleges 2017”

May 5, 2017

The University of Portland has been ranked the top Oregon school for best return on investment among 300 private and public institutions in Forbes Magazine‘s second annual ranking of America’s Best Value Colleges for 2017.

The University of Portland was ranked 146th among all universities nationwide. Among other Oregon private colleges and universities, Willamette University was ranked next at 159th nationally; Reed College ranked 187th; Linfield College ranked 218th; and Lewis & Clark College ranked 272nd. Among public universities, the University of Oregon was ranked 256th and Oregon State University was ranked 290th.

In light of increasing college costs, Forbes sought to explore which American universities will return an individual’s financial investment with the best quality of education. Forbes‘ methodology in assessing the Spring 2017 rankings, just in time for College Decision Day, was based on a hierarchy of criteria. First, Quality (25%) explores not what is getting students into college, such as standardized test scores, but what is helping them graduate. Quality is also determined by student satisfaction reported on RateMyProfessor and retention rates. Alumni earnings (20%) is determined by a mixture of self-reported data and statistics of federal income tax returns after at least a decade of working. A new and significantly important factor is student debt (20%), followed by on-time graduation success (15%), drop-out risk (10%), Pell Grant recipients (10%), and gross tuition and fees.

In addition to the Forbes rankings, the University of Portland has been the top Oregon school in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance annual ranking of best values in private universities for seven consecutive years. For three consecutive years, Bloomberg Businessweek has named University of Portland the top school in Oregon for “return on investment” in a state-by-state ranking of schools providing graduates with the most return for the price of their education.

For more information and to see the entire national ranking of 300 colleges and universities, visit Forbes’ Best Value Colleges 2017.

UP Named Best Oregon College for Value by MONEY Magazine

July 15, 2016

numberone The University of Portland has been named the best college in Oregon for value in a ranking released by MONEY magazine, a Time Inc. publication. MONEY’s annual Best Colleges rankings and search tools are designed to help families find a great college at a great price.

The University of Portland received high marks for its health, accounting, and entrepreneurship programs. “The university is best known for its health sciences and accounting programs. Another highlight is the Entrepreneur Scholars Program, which combines classes, meetings with local and international businesspeople and the opportunity to test out new ventures,” according to the ranking. “Almost a quarter of UP students come from low-income families, and the university graduates 80% of students.”

The University of Portland is ranked 173rd overall nationally by MONEY for value. View the entire article here. MONEY’s coverage includes personal finance, including investing, saving, retirement, taxes, and family finance, including credit, careers, and the costs of college.

UP Ranked No. 1 in Oregon For Annual Alumni Earnings

February 5, 2016

The University of Portland has been ranked the no. 1 university in the state of Oregon among all four-year institutions whose alumni “go on to earn the most money” by the news website Business Insider in a January 2016 survey. University of Portland alumni averaged a median salary of $51,700 ten years after enrolling in classes.

Business Insider’s rankings were based on a recent report by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. The report used the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard to highlight the median earnings of students over ten years from over 1,400 colleges nationwide. The survey also listed the costs to annually attend each top school as comparison data. In that cost was tuition, required fees, as well as room and board. University of Portland’s annual tuition was listed as $52,152.

The complete list of rankings state by state are available online at this link.

Oregon Private College Week: Aug. 3-7

June 22, 2015

The University of Portland is joining 10 other private, nonprofit colleges and universities to participate in Oregon Private College Week, according to the Oregon Alliance of Independent College and Universities. Students who visit at least four institutions during the week will receive application fee waivers. Students may use these fee waivers to apply to any Alliance member college or university.

On June 5, Governor Kate Brown signed a proclamation that declares August 3-7, 2015 as Oregon Private College Week. The proclamation cites the indispensable contributions of Oregon’s private, nonprofit sector of higher education to Oregon’s communities to the state’s 40-40-20 education attainment goal (at least 40 percent of students earning at least a bachelor’s degree, 40 percent completing community college and 20 percent finishing high school).

Together, Alliance colleges and universities enroll 19% of Oregon’s undergraduate students, award 23% of Oregon’s undergraduate degrees and confer 24% of the bachelor’s degrees awarded to minority students in the state, including high-need fields such as STEM (21%), health professions (35%), business (24%), and public administration and social service (27%).

The University of Portland is the largest private university in Oregon, and the state’s only comprehensive university with schools of business, education, engineering, nursing, a College of Arts and Sciences and a graduate school. Sessions will begin at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Friday.

For more information about Oregon Private College Week, to view a list of participating colleges, or to register, go to www.oregonprivatecolleges.com.