Quad
Portland State UniversityPortland, OR · Public

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Psychology, General (10% of graduates). 17 students for every faculty member, more than at 78% of colleges. 57% of faculty are full-time. Spends $13,280 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

3,266 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 28% of graduates; 79 programs in 24 fields awarded at least one.

  1. Psychology, General 42.01019.5% 311
    Graduates in this field earn $49,063 4 years out
  2. Social Sciences, General 45.01015.9% 194
    Graduates in this field earn $52,562 4 years out
  3. Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies 24.01014.5% 146
    Graduates in this field earn $50,949 4 years out
  4. Marketing/Marketing Management, General 52.14014.4% 144
    Graduates in this field earn $61,499 4 years out
  5. Computer Science 11.07014.1% 134
    Graduates in this field earn $113,889 4 years out

Fastest-growing field: Computer science, 1.9% → 6.6% of graduates since 2014–15 (217 graduates in 2024–25).

Source:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2014–15 to 2024–25About the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)

Bachelor's degrees awarded July through June, by federal program name (), which can differ from what the college calls a major. A double major counts once, under the ; its other field is a . Earnings are College Scorecard's median for graduates of the program's broader field (), 4 years after completion; see Top-earning majors below.

Top-earning majors here

By earnings 4 years after completion

  1. Computer Science$113,889 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $78,669

    4 years after completion$113,889
    National median: $107,009Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $108,117 · Non-Pell: $115,627(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $25,000 · 328 graduates, two most recent years combined

  2. Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$101,905 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $82,853

    4 years after completion$101,905
    National median: $100,647About typical

    4 years out, Pell: $90,394 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $23,875 · 115 graduates, two most recent years combined

  3. Mechanical Engineering$94,223 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $73,079

    4 years after completion$94,223
    National median: $92,135About typical

    4 years out, Pell: $82,276 · Non-Pell: $81,775(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $23,000 · 188 graduates, two most recent years combined

  4. Physics$87,488 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $62,749

    4 years after completion$87,488
    National median: $76,786Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $87,040 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $22,358 · 33 graduates, two most recent years combined

  5. Computer Engineering$87,259 1 yr out

    1 year after completion: $87,259

    4 years after completion: Too few graduates to report

    Median federal debt: $25,000 · 46 graduates, two most recent years combined

Bachelor's programs only, among graduates who received federal financial aid and were working (not enrolled in school) in the measurement year.

Students per faculty member vs. every college17 to 1
17 to 1
← Fewer students per facultymore students per faculty member than 78% of 1,892More students per faculty →

Not the average class size: faculty also teach graduate students and do research, and large lectures can sit alongside small seminars.

Full-time faculty57%
National median: 67%Below typical
Average faculty salary

$107,329

9-month equated, all ranks combined. Pay tracks local cost of living as much as a college's generosity.

Spending and endowment

Fiscal 2023–24. Compared only against other public colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable. Many public universities' endowments sit mostly in a separate foundation this survey doesn't count, so this likely understates what's actually available.

Instruction spending per student$13,280
$13,280
← Lessmore than 69% of 557More →
Endowment per student$8,141
$8,141
← Lessmore than 32% of 537More →

Sources:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard Field of Study data, most recent release;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)