Cost of Attending College in Oregon: Tuition and Living Costs
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 04, 2026 • US States & Cities
Part of the guide Cost of Attending College by State: Tuition and Living Costs Compared
For 2025-26, Oregon public university tuition and fees for residents run from about $6,842 a year at Portland State to $15,117 at Oregon State, while nonresidents pay roughly $17,642 to $43,226. Add housing, food, and other living costs, and University of Oregon's full price for an in-state student living off campus runs about $36,275 a year, with nonresidents around $63,471.
💵 Resident tuition and fees: $6,842 (Portland State) to $15,117 (Oregon State) for 2025-26
Nonresident tuition and fees: $17,642 (Portland State) to $43,226 (University of Oregon)
🏠 On-campus room and board at Oregon State runs about $17,400 a year, off campus is closer to $13,100
University of Oregon's full in-state cost of attendance living off campus runs about $36,275 a year with housing and food included
Check Oregon State's own cost of attendance page for its full total, since it varies by housing choice
Private Oregon universities list higher sticker prices but often discount heavily with institutional aid
Tuition and mandatory fees at Oregon's public universities, 2025-26
Every Oregon public university sets its own rate, so the gap between the cheapest and most expensive campus is real even before you add living costs. University of Oregon prices new students under its Duck Tuition Guarantee, which locks the rate for five years starting with the entering cohort, so the figures below apply to students starting in the 2025 cohort year.
| University | Resident tuition and fees | Nonresident tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|
| Portland State University | $6,842 | $17,642 |
| Oregon State University | $15,117 | $40,077 |
| University of Oregon (2025 entering cohort) | $13,906 | $43,226 |
Sources: Portland State's 2025-26 tuition and fees page , Oregon State's 2025-26 tuition announcement , and the UO 2025-26 tuition and fee recommendation . Portland State also charges a one-time $475 matriculation fee for new students, and all three schools charge differential tuition on top of the base rate in specific majors such as business, engineering, and nursing, so confirm your program's exact rate before you budget.
Total cost of attendance: tuition plus living expenses
Cost of attendance is the figure that matters for budgeting and financial aid, since it adds housing, food, books, transportation, and personal expenses to tuition. University of Oregon and Oregon State publish full estimates for 2025-26.
| University | Resident total | Nonresident total |
|---|---|---|
| University of Oregon, off campus | $36,275 | $63,471 |
| Oregon State University, on campus | See OSU's cost of attendance page for current resident and nonresident totals |
Source: University of Oregon cost of attendance, 2025-26 and Oregon State cost of attendance . Portland State does not publish one combined figure in the same format, so use its cost of attendance estimator for a personalized total based on your housing choice and program.
Living costs: on campus vs off campus
Where you live changes your total cost more than almost any other choice you control. At Oregon State, on-campus room and board runs about $17,400 a year, while an off-campus estimate based on average local rent and food comes to about $13,095 a year, according to OSU's cost of attendance page . At University of Oregon, the published off-campus housing and food estimate is $13,095 a year, based on $1,011 a month for housing and $444 a month for food, per UO's financial aid office .
Books and supplies add roughly $1,395 a year at Oregon State, and personal expenses and transportation typically add another $2,600 to $3,000 combined, per the same OSU estimate. First-year students at both UO and OSU are generally required to live on campus unless they qualify for an exception, so budget for the on-campus rate in your first year even if you plan to move off campus later.
Portland carries a reputation for higher rent than Eugene or Corvallis, so if you're comparing Portland State against the other two campuses, don't assume its lower tuition automatically means a lower total cost once housing is factored in. Run PSU's own cost of attendance estimator with your specific housing plan rather than assuming its living costs match the smaller college towns.
Private university tuition in Oregon
Oregon's private nonprofit universities, including Willamette University, University of Portland, Lewis and Clark College, Reed College, and George Fox University, publish sticker prices well above the public out-of-state rate. Sticker price rarely reflects what most students pay, though, since these schools award substantial institutional grants based on need and academic merit. Run each school's net price calculator with your own financial information before you rule out a private option on sticker price alone.
A private school's net price after aid sometimes lands close to, or even below, the out-of-state public rate for a strong applicant, especially at schools competing hard for enrollment. Don't cross a private university off your list before you see an actual aid offer, since the difference between sticker price and real price varies enormously by school and by your own financial profile.
Ways to lower your real cost
Start at an Oregon community college, where tuition runs a fraction of university rates, then transfer.
Check whether you qualify for the Western Undergraduate Exchange discount if you're a nonresident from a nearby Western state.
File the FAFSA or ORSAA early for a shot at the Oregon Opportunity Grant, which is first-come, first-served.
Recent Oregon high school or GED graduates headed to community college should apply for Oregon Promise before their deadline.
Live off campus with roommates once you're past any first-year housing requirement, and cook rather than rely on a full meal plan.
Establish Oregon residency if you plan to stay long-term as a nonresident student, since the tuition gap runs into tens of thousands of dollars over a degree.