Oregon State University
Oregon's largest university and a land, sea, space and sun grant research school in the college town of Corvallis.
- Acceptance rate
- 79%
- First-year students entering fall 2025 (Common Data Set 2025-26)
- Students
- 37,555
- 31,586 undergraduates
- International
- 6%
- of students
- Student–faculty
- 18:1
- ratio
- Tuition
- $42,459
- 2026-27
About OSU
Oregon State University was chartered in 1868 as Oregon's land-grant college and took its current name in 1961. It is one of only three US universities that hold land, sea, space and sun grant designations, and with 37,555 students in fall 2025 it is the largest university in the state. The main campus in Corvallis, largely laid out by landscape architect John Charles Olmsted in 1906, is a listed historic district; OSU also runs the OSU-Cascades campus in Bend, the Hatfield Marine Science Center on the coast at Newport and a large online Ecampus.
Teaching is organised into 11 colleges, including Agricultural Sciences, Engineering, Forestry, Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine, plus an Honors College, and the academic year runs on quarters. Research spending reached $417 million in FY2025. OSU is leading the design and construction of a new class of coastal research vessels for the National Science Foundation, and its crop breeders released the Cascade hop that helped launch American craft brewing.
Admission is broadly accessible: OSU admitted 23,172 of 29,362 first-year applicants for fall 2025 (78.9%) and is test-optional. It suits students who want a big research university in a small, outdoorsy college town, especially in engineering, computer science, forestry, ocean and earth sciences, or agriculture and food science.
Why students choose OSU
Oceans on the curriculum: the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport and OSU's research ships give marine science students hands-on coastal fieldwork.
A large engineering college with direct admission for first-years who have taken pre-calculus or calculus in high school.
Guaranteed regional scholarships for international first-years, from $2,000 to $16,000 a year depending on home region, awarded automatically with the offer.
A walkable, tree-lined campus in Corvallis with the Cascades, the Oregon coast and Portland all within a few hours.
Admissions
First-year students entering fall 2025 (Common Data Set 2025-26)
23,172 admitted from 29,362 applicants
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
4,452 first-years enrolled in fall 2025. Oregon residents made up 8,610 applicants and 7,199 admits. Early Action and priority-round applicants are reviewed with the same holistic criteria, and some Early Action files are deferred to the priority round so mid-year grades can be considered.
Typical entry requirements
| US high school | 4 years of language arts, 3 of math (4 encouraged), 3 of science, 3 of social studies and 2 of a second language, each with C- or better; pre-calculus or calculus for direct entry to Engineering |
|---|---|
| International high school diploma | 3.0 GPA |
| IB Diploma | 26 points overall |
| IGCSE | 5 subjects (including math, English and science) averaging 3.0 on the NCAA scale |
| Undergraduate Pathway (international) | 2.5 GPA, IB 24 or IGCSE average 2.5, with lower English scores |
| English language | IELTS 6 · TOEFL iBT 70 Direct entry: TOEFL iBT 70, IELTS 6.0, PTE Academic 48 or Duolingo 100; SAT reading and writing 560, ACT English 21, AP English 3 or IB English A HL 5 also qualify. Scores must be under two years old at the start term. Lower scores (from IELTS 5.0) can qualify for 3- or 4-term Undergraduate Pathway programs. |
Deadlines
- Early Action (Corvallis campus) Non-binding Next deadline · In 27 daysNovember 2, 2026
Non-binding; complete applicants are notified by mid-December. Some may be asked for mid-year transcripts first.
- Priority application deadline (Corvallis campus) Non-binding In ~4 monthsFebruary 1, 2027
For full admission and scholarship consideration; transcripts, other documents and optional test scores due February 12, 2027. Later applications are considered on a space-available basis.
- Ecampus (online) final deadline Non-binding In ~11 monthsAugust 25, 2027
Final fall 2027 deadline for online students.
Dates are from OSU's Undergraduate Admission Deadlines page for fall 2027; fall 2027 applications are open. OSU has no Early Decision.
How to apply
OSU application or Common App; personal statement plus one OSU essay prompt; $65 fee or waiver; self-reported coursework and transcripts; test scores optional; recommendations not required. International students apply through OSU's international admissions office.
What admissions looks for
- High school grades, the courses you took and their rigor, judged in the context of what your school offers.
- Grades in any college or dual-credit courses.
- Your personal statement and your response to one of OSU's application essay prompts.
- Experiences and perspectives you would bring to campus, plus special talents and achievements beyond the minimum.
Tips for applying to OSU
- 1 Apply by November 2 for Early Action or by February 1 for the priority round: the application for admission is also your application for admission-based scholarships.
- 2 If you want to start directly in an Engineering major, make sure pre-calculus or calculus is on your transcript.
- 3 Take the essay prompt seriously: with tests optional and no recommendations required, it is your main chance to add context.
- 4 International applicants should send official documents early; OSU does not accept WES evaluations and international review takes about two weeks longer.
What are your chances?
Sign up to see your personalized admission chances for Oregon State University
Sign up to see your chancesCosts & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in USD
Most OSU students receive some form of support, and the ScholarDollars portal gives access to nearly 2,500 scholarship opportunities. Oregon residents may qualify for Bridge to Success, which covers basic tuition and fees, and students from Western states can be considered for the competitive WUE scholarship (tuition at 150% of resident rates). International first-years receive automatic regional awards of $2,000 to $16,000 a year, or the $6,000 Provost's Scholarship for Excellence with a 3.5+ GPA.
- $38,568
- 2026-27 cost of attendance, Corvallis, Oregon resident
- $65,013
- 2026-27 cost of attendance, Corvallis, non-resident
- 361, averaging $8,996
- International undergraduates awarded institutional aid (CDS 2025-26)
- Over $15 million
- Donor-funded scholarships via ScholarDollars
Academics
Academic calendar: Quarters
Engineering and Computer Science
OSU's College of Engineering is among the largest in the US, and alumni include Nvidia co-founder Jensen Huang (electrical engineering, 1984).
Ocean and Earth Sciences
The College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences runs the Hatfield Marine Science Center and oceanographic research vessels based in Newport.
Forestry
A dedicated College of Forestry that manages 10 research and demonstration forests totalling about 18,000 acres, led by the McDonald and Dunn forests near campus, as outdoor labs.
Agricultural and Food Sciences
Breeding programs behind the Cascade hop and a research brewery in the Department of Food Science and Technology.
Honors College
Small honors classes, faculty mentoring and an undergraduate thesis leading to OSU's Honors Baccalaureate.
Research
- $417 million in research expenditures in FY2025.
- Leading the design and construction of the National Science Foundation's Regional Class Research Vessels; the first, RV Taani, launched in 2023.
- The Cascade hop, released by OSU breeders in 1971 and widely used in American craft brewing.
- Co-leadership of the Ocean Observatories Initiative, a network of undersea gliders and observation platforms in the Pacific and Atlantic.
Schools & faculties
- College of Agricultural Sciences
- College of Business
- College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences
- College of Education
- College of Engineering
- College of Forestry
- College of Health
- College of Liberal Arts
- College of Pharmacy
- College of Science
- College of Veterinary Medicine
- Honors College
College Scorecard: median earnings of $64,010 ten years after entry (and $50,843 six years after entry) for federally aided students.
Student life
Most first-years at OSU live on campus under a first-year live-on policy, in one of 16 residence halls, and most older students move into Corvallis. There are more than 400 student clubs and organisations, a student media group that publishes The Daily Barometer and runs KBVR radio and TV, and the PRAx arts center for concerts, theatre and exhibitions. Sports life centres on Reser Stadium and the Oregon-Oregon State rivalry, and the Cascade Range, the Pacific coast and several rivers are within a short drive for hiking, rafting and skiing.
- Oregon State Beavers in NCAA Division I, with three national baseball titles (2006, 2007 and 2018).
- The Oregon-Oregon State football rivalry, one of the longest-running in college football.
- More than 400 student clubs and organisations.
- Olmsted-designed historic campus that doubles as an arboretum.
Housing. Most incoming first-years are required to live in one of OSU's 16 residence halls; most older students live off campus in Corvallis.
Location
Corvallis is a small city in the middle of Oregon's Willamette Valley, 83 miles south of Portland, and life there is closely tied to the university. OSU describes it as a college town with mountain-biking and hiking trails, a river for kayaking and an eclectic downtown; the Cascades and the Pacific coast are each a short drive away.
Nearest airport: Eugene Airport (EUG); Portland International Airport (PDX)
Notable alumni
- LP Linus PaulingChemist and peace activist, winner of two unshared Nobel Prizes (Chemistry and Peace)
- JH Jensen HuangCo-founder and CEO of Nvidia (BS electrical engineering 1984)
- DP Donald PettitNASA astronaut and chemical engineer (BS 1978)
- PC Peggy CherngCo-founder of Panda Express (BS applied mathematics 1970)
- GP Gary PaytonNBA Hall of Fame point guard
- MC Marion CarlWorld War II fighter ace and record-setting test pilot (BS 1938)
- DM Douglas McKayGovernor of Oregon and US Secretary of the Interior
Frequently asked questions
What is Oregon State University's acceptance rate?
OSU admitted 23,172 of 29,362 first-year applicants for fall 2025, an acceptance rate of about 79%.
Does Oregon State require the SAT or ACT?
No. OSU is test-optional; scores you choose to send are considered in context but are never the sole or primary reason for a decision.
When is the Oregon State application deadline for fall 2027?
Early Action closes November 2, 2026 and the priority deadline is February 1, 2027, with documents due February 12. Later applications are considered on a space-available basis.
How much does Oregon State cost for out-of-state students?
For 2026-27 at Corvallis, non-resident tuition and fees are $42,459 and the estimated total cost of attendance is $65,013. Students from Western states can be considered for the WUE scholarship.
What English test score do international students need for Oregon State?
Direct admission requires TOEFL iBT 70, IELTS 6.0, PTE 48 or Duolingo 100. Students with lower scores can start in an Undergraduate Pathway program.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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