Southern Oregon University

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Southern Oregon University

Southern Oregon University operates as a public institution located in Ashland, Oregon (suburb: midsize), with a total reported enrollment of 2,751 students of which 5,544 are undergraduates. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile’s peer group and cost cohort are determined. Southern Oregon University is categorized as “18” under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.

Selectivity and financial signals give context to what applicants can expect. The reported admission rate is 88.6%, drawn from the most recent IPEDS Fall enrollment survey and an ACT midpoint of 22. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $16,732, with published in-state tuition of $12,762 and a Pell grant recipient share of 24.9%. Median federal student debt at graduation is $20,332, drawn from the U.S. Treasury-matched College Scorecard file.

Outcomes reveal whether the investment pays back. The 4-year completion rate is 43.4%, and the first-year retention rate is 67.8%. Graduates earn a median of $49,175 ten years after enrolling, compared with $39,326 six years post-enrollment. Within three years of entering repayment, 243300.0% of borrowers are making progress on their federal loans, and 55.3% of graduates earn above the high-school threshold. Treating these numbers as a single snapshot alongside the cost cohort is the standard approach for evaluating ROI under the College Scorecard methodology.