Portland State vs Illinois State

Portland State University (PSU) and Illinois State University (ISU) are two distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering unique opportunities and experiences to their students. PSU, located in the heart of Portland, Oregon, is known for its urban campus, diverse student body, and strong focus on sustainability. ISU, situated in the vibrant city of Normal, Illinois, boasts a beautiful campus, a wide range of academic programs, and a strong commitment to student success. While both universities share a dedication to providing quality education, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Illinois State University	Portland State University
Overview
Location	Normal, Illinois	Portland, Oregon
Campus setting	Suburb: 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	83.0%	76.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.5%	98.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $67
SAT range	1000 - 1200	1000 - 1250
ACT range	21 - 27	17 - 24
Students submitting SAT score	51.0%	9.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%	8.0%
Total number of applicants	11,913	6,859
Total number of admissions given out	10,905	6,751
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,374	1,741
Yield rate	30.9%	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: $31,811 Out of state: $43,335	In state: $28,296 Out of state: $47,196
Average net price	$21,033	$13,015
Tuition	In state: $11,524 Out of state: $23,048	In state: $8,685 Out of state: $27,585
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,494 Meal plan: $4,652	Room/dormitory: $7,179 Meal plan: $4,548
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	91.0% Average amount $10,848	70.0% Average amount $9,424
Students receiving federal student loan	46.0% Average amount $5,065	40.0% Average amount $4,437
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $14,532	3.0% Average amount $16,901

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	17,674 Men 43.0% Women 57.0%	17,753 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%
Graduate students	2,559 Men 35.1% Women 64.9%	5,105 Men 35.5% Women 64.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	4.2%	20.4%
International students	2.8%	5.0%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	5,560	2,352
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Missouri Wisconsin Michigan Iowa	Oregon California Washington Hawaii Colorado

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.3%	53.8%
Dropout rate	32.0%	18.3%
Transferred out	N/A	23.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,556 Year 2: $95,930 Year 3: $102,485 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,002 Year 2: $64,990 Year 3: $78,276 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,303 Year 2: $72,884 Year 3: $77,896 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,576 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $73,936 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,516 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $73,592 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,000 Year 2: $64,791 Year 3: $70,358 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,829 Year 2: $65,194 Year 3: $65,533 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,294 Year 2: $54,996 Year 3: $64,567 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,313 Year 2: $52,781 Year 3: $64,241 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,480 Year 2: $54,470 Year 3: $63,207	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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