Affordable Colleges in Oregon
All 36 colleges in Oregon, ordered by average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships, not the sticker price on the brochure.
The most affordable is Klamath Community College at about $7,050 a year; the costliest here is Lewis & Clark College at $36,013. A typical Oregon school on this list lands near $17,148.
Cheapest first, that means Klamath Community College, Mt Hood Community College and Clackamas Community College. A low average is not a low bill for everyone — aid depends on your family's income — but it is the right place to start looking.
Narrow it down
- Most Affordable Community Colleges in Oregon16 community colleges · from $7,050/yr
- Most Affordable Public Universities in Oregon8 public universities · from $9,552/yr
- Affordable Private Colleges in Oregon11 private colleges · from $20,789/yr
Every college in Oregon, cheapest first · 36
Ranked by average net price per year after grants and scholarships — the figure beside each name, with the share of students on federal Pell grants where the school reports it. Schools that report no net price are listed last.
- Klamath Community College
- Mt Hood Community College
- Clackamas Community College
- Chemeketa Community College
- Umpqua Community College
- Southwestern Oregon Community College
- Lane Community College
- Portland State University
- Portland Community College
- Columbia Gorge Community College
- Clatsop Community College
- Rogue Community College
- Treasure Valley Community College
- Linn-Benton Community College
- Central Oregon Community College
- Blue Mountain Community College
- Oregon Institute of Technology
- Southern Oregon University
- Eastern Oregon University
- Western Oregon University
- Oregon State University-Cascades Campus
- Oregon State University
- Bushnell University
- University of Oregon
- American College of Healthcare Sciences
- Willamette University
- Warner Pacific University
- Linfield University
- Corban University
- University of Portland
- Sumner College
- George Fox University
- Reed College
- Pacific University
- Pacific Northwest College of Art
- Lewis & Clark College
Questions families ask
- What is the most affordable college in Oregon?
- By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is Klamath Community College at about $7,050 a year. That is an average across all students there; your own cost depends on your family's income, so check the school's net price calculator.
- What is the difference between sticker price and net price?
- Sticker price is the published tuition before any aid. Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted — not loans, which you pay back. Net price is usually far lower, and at expensive private colleges the gap can be tens of thousands a year, which is why every figure on this page is net price rather than tuition.
- How much does college in Oregon cost on average?
- Across the 36 colleges in Oregon that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $17,148 a year after aid, running from $7,050 to $36,013.
- Are community colleges cheaper in Oregon?
- On this data, yes. The typical two-year college in Oregon has a net price around $10,416 a year, against about $25,121 at the typical four-year school — a difference of roughly $14,705 a year. Credits often transfer, so two years at a community college can cut the cost of a four-year degree substantially.
- What does the Pell grant percentage mean?
- It is the share of undergraduates at that school receiving a federal Pell grant — need-based aid that does not have to be repaid. A higher share usually means the school enrols more students from lower-income families. Across the colleges listed here it runs from 15% to 66%, with a middle of about 32%. It is the only aid figure the Department of Education publishes per school, so it is the only one shown.
Which of these actually fits you?
A list is a starting point, not an answer. Two minutes of questions gives you a shortlist ranked on cost, academics, size and location — with the reaches labelled honestly.
Find your match — free