Quad

Head-to-head

U. Oregon
Washington State

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Washington State costs about $17.3K less per year on average than U. Oregon ($24,199 vs. $41,468, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    Washington State's grants cover 27% of its full price on average, vs. 16% at U. Oregon

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    U. Oregon graduates 8 pts more of its students than Washington State (74% vs. 66%)

    Graduation rate
  4. 4

    Washington State grads earn $7.6K more ten years out than U. Oregon's ($68,905 vs. $61,324)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  5. 5

    Washington State has 6 pts more Pell recipients than U. Oregon (27% vs. 21%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  6. 6

    Washington State has 6 pts more first-gen students than U. Oregon (34% vs. 28%)

    First-generation students

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

Washington State admits 87%, U. Oregon 88%; Washington State's yield is higher, at 20%.

Acceptance rate
U. Oregon88%
Washington State87%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. OregonAccessible
  • Washington StateAccessible
SAT middle 50%Axis 1000–1600
U. Oregon
1130–1360
Washington StateTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. OregonGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • Washington StateGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

U. Oregon and Washington State are about the same size; Washington State has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
U. Oregon20.5K
Washington State21.1K
Pell Grant share
U. Oregon21%
Washington State27%

Majors and faculty

Business/Commerce leads at U. Oregon, and Psychology at Washington State; Washington State has 15 students per faculty member to U. Oregon's 19.

Students per faculty member
U. Oregon19 to 1
Washington State15 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. OregonBusiness/Commerce, General14%
  • Washington StatePsychology, General8%

What each costs

Washington State costs about $17.3K less a year than U. Oregon on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
U. Oregon$41.5K
Washington State$24.2K
Aid generosity
U. Oregon16%
Washington State27%

What each pays off

Washington State's former students earn more, a median $68.9K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 60% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
U. Oregon$61.3K
Washington State$68.9K
Graduation rate
U. Oregon74%
Washington State66%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. OregonGrowing+87%
  • Washington StateGrowingsince fall 2015+29%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why