History/Location: Portland State University is Oregon's urban public university. Founded in 1946 as Vanport Extension Center of the Oregon State System of Higher Education, it became Portland State College, a separate degree-granting institution, in 1955, and was re-named Portland State University in 1969. The Carnegie Foundation currently classifies Portland State University as a Doctoral-Granting University II. The 36-acre campus adjoins the central business district of Portland, Oregon, a city of 503,000. The Portland metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1.9 million.

Academic Schools and Colleges, Programs and Degrees: The University comprises the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Urban and Public Affairs, and Engineering and Computer Science; Schools of Business Administration, Fine and Performing Arts, the Graduate School of Education, the Graduate School of Social Work, and Extended Studies. During the 2002-2003 academic year 2,596 bachelor's degrees, 1,299 master's degrees, and 32 doctoral degrees were awarded. The University offers bachelor's degrees in 69 fields, certificate programs in thirteen areas at the undergraduate level and 23 at the graduate level, master's degrees in 72 fields, and doctoral degrees in ten fields. In 2002-2003 doctoral degrees were awarded in Educational Leadership, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Environmental Sciences and Resources, Social Work, Public Administration and Policy, Systems Science, and Urban Studies.

Faculty: In 2002-2003 there were 717 budgeted instructional faculty FTE positions (including 65 FTE Graduate Assistants). The student/faculty ratio was 20:1. More than 75% of full-time instructional faculty were tenured. Average 2002-2003 AAUP instructional faculty salaries were $73,134 for full professors and $56,795 for all ranks (after 12-month salaries were converted to nine-month equivalents).

Enrollment: Fall 2002 headcount enrollment excluding extension students was 20,110 (14,727 FTE) including 15,038 undergraduate students (11,140 FTE), and 5,072 graduate students (3,587 FTE). Sixty-three percent (9,437) of undergraduate students and 39% percent (1,989) of graduate students were enrolled full time. Fifty-four percent of undergraduate students and 59% of graduate students were female. Seven percent of students paid out-of-state tuition. Nineteen percent of undergraduate students and 12% of graduate students were members of protected minority groups. Overall, 16.8% of PSU students who were citizens or permanent residents of the US were members of protected minority groups (9.0% were Asian, 2.8% African-American, 3.8% Hispanic, and 1.2% Native American). An additional 5.5% of the student body were international students, representing 93 nations. In addition to the students enumerated above, nearly 15,883 individuals each year enrolled in credit-bearing courses offered through PSU's School of Extended Studies. Approximately 11% of PSU students lived in campus housing, which was operated by College Housing Northwest, a private non-profit corporation.

Costs: Annual tuition for full-time undergraduate students who were Oregon residents was $3,873 in 2002-2003; non-resident full-time undergraduate tuition was $13,269. Tuition for Oregon resident full-time graduate students was $7,212; for full-time non-resident graduate students, tuition was $12,234.

Institutional Affiliations: PSU is accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges. It is a member of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC), the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) and the Association of Urban Universities. In athletics, PSU is a Division I member of the Big Sky Conference.