Portland State vs Boise State

Nestled in the heart of Oregon, Portland State University (PSU) and Boise State University (BSU) in Idaho stand as prominent institutions of higher learning, each offering unique educational experiences. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in several key aspects. PSU boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a more diverse student body, while BSU maintains a slightly higher graduation rate. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions, including popular majors, student demographics, and financial aid opportunities, to determine which university best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Boise State University	Portland State University
Overview
Location	Boise, Idaho	Portland, Oregon
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	76.0%	76.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	83.1%	98.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $65	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $67
SAT range	N/A	1000 - 1250
ACT range	N/A	17 - 24
Students submitting SAT score		9.0%
Students submitting ACT score		8.0%
Total number of applicants	15,648	6,859
Total number of admissions given out	13,008	6,751
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,171	1,741
Yield rate	24.4%	25.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $24,437 Out of state: $41,357	In state: $28,296 Out of state: $47,196
Average net price	$15,828	$13,015
Tuition	In state: $5,532 Out of state: $22,452	In state: $8,685 Out of state: $27,585
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,713 Meal plan: $4,609	Room/dormitory: $7,179 Meal plan: $4,548
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	76.0% Average amount $10,476	70.0% Average amount $9,424
Students receiving federal student loan	40.0% Average amount $4,982	40.0% Average amount $4,437
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $16,745	3.0% Average amount $16,901

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	22,404 Men 42.7% Women 57.3%	17,753 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%
Graduate students	3,390 Men 35.8% Women 64.2%	5,105 Men 35.5% Women 64.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	50.4%	20.4%
International students	1.3%	5.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	3,158	2,352
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Idaho California Washington Oregon Nevada	Oregon California Washington Hawaii Colorado

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Public Administration and Social Service Multidisciplinary Studies	Education Engineering Business Public Administration and Social Service Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	20:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	53.6%	53.8%
Dropout rate	22.8%	18.3%
Transferred out	19.6%	23.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,319 Year 2: $75,047 Year 3: $88,314 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,923 Year 2: $76,208 Year 3: $87,983 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,628 Year 2: $72,274 Year 3: $87,469 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $74,383 Year 2: $74,786 Year 3: $86,815 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,634 Year 2: $59,417 Year 3: $67,986 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,725 Year 2: $60,025 Year 3: $66,772 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,061 Year 2: $65,621 Year 3: $66,199 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,345 Year 2: $52,385 Year 3: $60,674 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,487 Year 2: $60,240 Year 3: $59,945 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,480 Year 2: $50,022 Year 3: $59,773	Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,974 Year 2: $95,073 Year 3: $103,264 Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,050 Year 2: $78,971 Year 3: $95,745 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $84,403 Year 2: $86,867 Year 3: $95,669 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,452 Year 2: $80,186 Year 3: $93,529 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,696 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $81,800 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,166 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $78,147 Civil Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,319 Year 2: $64,791 Year 3: $73,804 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,670 Year 2: $62,479 Year 3: $72,114 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,109 Year 2: $59,214 Year 3: $67,065 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,483 Year 2: $57,860 Year 3: $65,846

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