Best ROI Colleges in Oregon

Looking for value in Oregon? Start here. We ranked these colleges by ROI - earnings premium (30%), payback period (25%), debt-to-earnings (20%), completion rate (15%), and loan repayment (10%) - all from U.S. Department of Education data, with no prestige guesswork in the mix.

10 schools ranked

Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release

#SchoolROI
1University of Portland
Portland, OR
89
2Linfield University
McMinnville, OR
84
3Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR
83
4Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR
75
5Oregon State University-Cascades Campus
Bend, OR
73
6Portland State University
Portland, OR
69
7University of Oregon
Eugene, OR
68
8Lewis & Clark College
Portland, OR
61
9Reed College
Portland, OR
60
10Willamette University
Salem, OR
59

How We Rank

Rankings are based on our ROI score (0-100), which weights five quantifiable factors: Earnings Premium (30%), Payback Period (25%), Debt-to-Earnings (20%), Completion Rate (15%), and Loan Repayment (10%). All data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. No subjective criteria are used.

Full methodology →

Common Questions

What is the best best-ROI college in Oregon?

University of Portland tops this list at 89/100 on our ROI scale, the highest among the 10 schools ranked here. Rankings weigh net price against median graduate earnings from U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data - no prestige guesswork.

Which school on this list has the highest graduate earnings?

University of Portland reports the highest median earnings here, about $82,804 ten years after enrollment. In our view higher earnings alone don't make the best value, since what you pay matters just as much - which is why the ranking weighs cost too.

What is the most affordable school on this list?

Portland State University carries the lowest net price among the ranked schools, about $9,552 a year after grants and scholarships. Net price is what students actually pay, not the published sticker price.

How are these schools ranked?

We score every school 0 to 100 on five quantifiable factors: earnings premium (30%), payback period (25%), debt-to-earnings (20%), completion rate (15%), and loan repayment (10%). All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, with no subjective reputation scoring. Of the 10 schools here, 9 earn an ROI score of 60 or higher.