College Viability Inspection Report

Oregon State University

Oregon · Public

Oregon State University is a public institution in Oregon, enrolling 25,024 students as of 2024. It graduates 46% of students in four years, returns 88% of freshmen for a second year, and costs an average of $22,467 a year after grants and scholarships. Of the 9 inspection checks that could be evaluated, 3 are flagged: Graduation, Equity Gap, and Tuition Allocation. This report benchmarks Oregon State University's most recent reported year (2024) against 2,000+ U.S. colleges across three dimensions: student outcomes, financial health, and value for money. All figures are drawn from federal IPEDS filings and are reported without editorial judgment.

Oregon State University Inspection Flags

Student Outcomes
Financial Health
Value for Your Money

Inspection flags are nine independent checks across student outcomes, financial health, and cost-to-value that surface areas of a college's reported numbers worth a closer look. A triggered flag means the college's data met a specific threshold that students and families may want to ask about — for example, graduation rates slipping below a level, or tuition rising while outcomes decline. A clear flag means the threshold was not met. Flags are signals for further conversation, not verdicts.

Look Beyond the Brochure. Then Ask Your College.

Changing the Balance of Power from Colleges to Students and Families.

Every campus tour is a sales pitch. Colleges will show you the beautiful quad and the smiling Dean — not what doesn't flatter them. The right questions can reveal information that significantly impacts your experience.
College Viability
Data Summary

Oregon State University — All Reported Indicators

Plain-text reference table of every metric and inspection flag for Oregon State University. Values reflect IPEDS-reported figures; percent changes reflect endpoint-to-endpoint 2020 → 2024 comparison; percentiles reflect 2024 national rank against four-year public and private nonprofit institutions. Cells marked "not reported" indicate the indicator was not present in IPEDS for this institution.

Student Outcomes

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Four-Year Graduation Rate46.0%+24.3%58th
Six-Year Graduation Rate70.0%+4.5%77th
Full-Time Retention Rate88.0%+3.5%82nd
Pell Grant Six-Year Graduation Rate60.8%+2.3%74th
Pell-to-Non-Pell Graduation Gap12.1pp-13.0%64th
Pell Share of Cohort23.1%-20.3%20th

Financial Health

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Revenue-to-Expense Ratio1.14×+10.9%66th
Total FTE Enrollment25,024+12.2%97th
Endowment Value$1.04B+51.9%93rd
Net Assets (End of Year)$1.27B+59.8%92nd

Value for Money

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Instructional Spending %23.8%-7.7%18th
Student Support Spending %3.2%+20.0%9th
Administrative Spending %11.7%+18.0%21st
Instruction+Support to Admin Ratio2.31×-19.6%37th
Average Net Price$22,467+4.8%64th
Net Price: $0-30K Income$12,107-20.6%41st
Net Price: $30K-48K Income$13,036-24.1%44th
Net Price: $48-75K Income$15,729-27.6%46th
Net Price: $75K-110K Income$20,262-18.7%49th
Net Price: $110K+ Income$27,459+8.2%63rd

Inspection Flags

FlagSectionStatus
Retention Below 80%
Oregon State University's retention rate stayed at or above 85% in all 5 reported years — above the 80% threshold.
Student OutcomesCleared
Four-Year Graduation Rate Below 50%
Oregon State University's 4-year graduation rate fell below 50% in 5 of 5 reported years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold.
Student OutcomesTriggered
Pell Gap Exceeds 10 Points
Oregon State University's Pell graduation gap exceeded 10 percentage points in 5 of 5 eligible years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold.
Student OutcomesTriggered
Revenue-to-Expense Below 1.0
Oregon State University's ratio stayed at or above 1.0 in all 5 reported years — ending at 1.14× in 2024.
Financial HealthCleared
Enrollment Declined 5% or More
Oregon State University's total enrollment grew from 22,295 to 25,024 students between 2020 and 2024 (+12.2%).
Financial HealthCleared
Endowment Under $50M or Growth Under 15%
Oregon State University's endowment is $1.04B and grew +51.9% between 2020 and 2024 — clearing both the $50 million size threshold and the 15% growth threshold.
Financial HealthCleared
High Cost, Low Completion
Oregon State University costs more than the national median but also graduates students at above-median rates — only one of two conditions is met.
Value for MoneyCleared
Spending on Students Below the National Median
Oregon State University spends $2.31 on instruction and student support per $1 of admin (2024) — below the national median of $2.75 in 4 of 5 reported years.
Value for MoneyTriggered
Rising Price, Falling Outcomes
Either net price did not rise or the graduation rate did not decline between 2020 and 2024 — flag not triggered.
Value for MoneyCleared