Record Breaking Enrollment At OSU

College Facilities: View of Weatherford Hall dormitory on Oregon State University campus. Corvallis, OR 12/6/2018 CREDIT: Jonathan Ferrey (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X162368 TK1 )

Corvallis, Ore. — Oregon State University has reported a record-breaking enrollment for the fall of 2023, marking its 27th consecutive year of growth. The total enrollment stands at 36,636 students, showing an increase of 1,397 students, or 4%, compared to the previous year. With this surge, Oregon State maintains its position as the largest university in the state for the 10th consecutive year.

The enrollment encompasses students across various OSU locations, including Corvallis, Bend, Portland, La Grande, and the online Ecampus unit. Notably, Ecampus, the university’s online education platform, experienced a significant rise in enrollment, climbing by 7% to reach 11,430 students for this fall term. This increase represents a growth of over 40% in the past five years.

Specifically, the Corvallis campus saw a 2.5% increase in enrollment, reaching 24,188 students, while OSU-Cascades in Bend observed a 3.3% rise to 1,313 students.

OSU President Jayathi Murthy noted that the record enrollment signifies the university’s commitment to broadening access to high-quality higher education. The demand for Ecampus enrollment, particularly as the university embarks on a new strategic plan aimed at more than doubling Ecampus enrollment by 2030, is particularly encouraging.

The university’s enrollment draws from all 50 states and 102 countries, with 17,884 Oregon residents representing 35 of the state’s 36 counties. Enrollment from outside Oregon increased by 8.3% this fall, reaching 15,561 students. The top five states contributing to out-of-state enrollment are California, Washington, Texas, Colorado, and Hawaii.

Enrollment figures also highlight an increase in students of color, with a 5.3% rise from the previous year, making up nearly 30% of OSU’s total enrollment.

The university’s fall 2023 enrollment further includes 5,601 graduate students, 7,209 first-generation undergraduates, 1,971 students in the Honors College, 8,876 transfer students, 2,213 international students, and 1,527 veterans.

Additionally, OSU-Cascades observed increases in various categories, including enrollment of Oregon residents, students of color, and graduate students.

First-time students from high school have increased at the Corvallis and Bend campuses as well as Ecampus compared to the previous fall. The average GPA of new high school students enrolling at the Corvallis and Bend campuses has steadily risen to 3.76 from 3.64 in 2018.

Engineering remains the most popular field of study at Oregon State, with the College of Engineering enrolling 11,014 undergraduate and graduate students. Other significant colleges include Liberal Arts, Business, Science, Agricultural Sciences, and Health.

The most popular undergraduate majors at Oregon State include computer science, business administration, psychology, general engineering, and mechanical engineering, with general engineering being a program for incoming undergraduates within the College of Engineering who later select a specific engineering major.