Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPublic

Southern Oregon University

Ashland, Oregon·Public, 4-year or above·Far West·sou.edu
6-yr Graduation
43%
-10.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
5,113
peer median 5,975
Avg net price
$16,470
+$2.3k vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
2,320
2,320 candidates competed
Admitted
2,056
88.6% acceptance rate
Enrolled
603
29.3% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
43%-10.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
21%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
43%
Full-time retention
68%

Pell equity

15.0pp gap
Pell recipients
36%
Non-Pell
51%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 15.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 86 Title IV programs, 24 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 62 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
86
Passing
24
27.9% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

86programs
  • Passing24 · 27.9%
  • No Data62 · 72.1%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
3
Watch
5
Safe
16
No data
62

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

24
Parks Recreation and Leisure Studies
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+0.1%
$36,135 vs $36,082
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+0.3%
$36,201 vs $36,082
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+6.7%
$38,487 vs $36,082
Visual and Performing Arts General
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+19.3%
$43,044 vs $36,082
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+19.6%
$69,359 vs $58,014
History
Bachelor Degree · History
+19.7%
$43,195 vs $36,082
Sociology and Anthropology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+21.9%
$43,982 vs $36,082
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
Bachelor Degree · Natural Resources And Conservation
+24.6%
$44,945 vs $36,082

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

2
Parks Recreation and Leisure Studies
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+0.1%
+$53
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+0.3%
+$119

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

21
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
85%
$59,090 debt · $69,359 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
69%
$41,456 debt · $60,530 earn
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
61%
$21,913 debt · $36,201 earn
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
60%
$23,000 debt · $38,487 earn
Parks Recreation and Leisure Studies
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
60%
$21,500 debt · $36,135 earn
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
Bachelor Degree · Natural Resources And Conservation
52%
$23,188 debt · $44,945 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
51%
$24,500 debt · $48,217 earn
Education General
Master's Degree · Education
51%
$32,497 debt · $64,128 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Accredited since 1928Next review Oct 2030

Programmatic accreditations · 2

Action history · 3

  1. Mar 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
  2. Oct 2016Renewal of Accreditation
    Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
  3. Aug 2014Change in Agency recognition
    National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation · Music (MUS) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and/or non-degree-granting programs

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$13,402
$30–48k$13,511
$48–75k$15,838
$75–110k$20,735
$110k+$22,467

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$16,470
+$2,326vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $14,144
Federal loans
27.1%
In-state tuition
$12,093
Out-of-state
$30,723

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 1,225 students received $6.9M in Pell grants, alongside $16.0M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,225
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$6.9M
$6,900,199 total
Direct Loans
$16.0M
2,328 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$3.4M
867 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$3.9M
936 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$3.9M
242 loan awards
Parent PLUS$3.9M
205 loan awards
Grad PLUS$853K
78 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 1,215 borrowers who entered repayment, 20 (1.6%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.6%
-0.7pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
1,215
Defaulted
20
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
8.5%
2017
8.0%
2018
6.0%
2019
1.6%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Southern Oregon

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs85
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

772 total completions
01Business
16421.2%
02Education
15520.1%
03Visual/Performing Arts
10313.3%
04Psychology
8310.8%
05Communication
719.2%
06Parks/Recreation
597.6%
07Multi/Interdisciplinary
384.9%
08Social Sciences
354.5%
09Natural Resources
324.1%
10Health Professions
324.1%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
5,113
12-mo unduplicated
7,070
Undergraduate
5,544
Graduate
1,526

Gender split

Men
36%2,541
Women
64%4,529

Race / ethnicity composition

White
54.8%
Hispanic
13.8%
Unknown
13.3%
Two or more
10.1%
Asian
2.0%
Black
1.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native
1.5%
Non-resident
1.2%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
409
227 M · 182 W
Women athletes
44.5%
Athletic aid
$1.2M
Total student aid
Budget
$6.9M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$621K
$580K
Recruiting expense
$44K
$15K
Head-coach salaries
$46K
$45K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 11

Football
108 M ·
$1.1M
Wrestling
41 M · 49 W
$823K
Soccer
33 M · 29 W
$523K
Basketball
18 M · 14 W
$563K
Beach Volleyball
· 25 W
$159K
Cross Country
12 M · 12 W
$158K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
3.27
17 offenses · 5,204 students

3-year trend

2.532 yrs ago0.971 yr ago3.27Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
35
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
36
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
2
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Fondling
7
Rape
4
Burglary
3
Motor vehicle theft
2
Aggravated assault
1

By location

17total
  • On campus15
  • Public property2

Includes 11 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

1
Domestic violence
3
Dating violence
11
Stalking
15 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Race1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons11
Drugs421
Liquor322

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Data quality: 2 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
23.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
126

Southern Oregon vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Southern Oregon selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectSouthern Oregon University
43%5,113$16,470Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Western Oregon University
47%98.1%3,722$18,290Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of Washington-Bothell Campus
65%90.6%6,058$10,898Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt
49%98.2%6,237$13,167Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Sonoma State University
58%93.4%5,891$13,801Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-Monterey Bay
59%97.4%7,713$14,487Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median53%97.4%5,975$14,144

Frequently asked questions about Southern Oregon University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Southern Oregon.

What is the graduation rate at Southern Oregon University?

Southern Oregon University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 43% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Southern Oregon University?

Southern Oregon University reports a total enrollment of 5,113 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Southern Oregon University?

The average net price at Southern Oregon University is $16,470 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Southern Oregon University?

Southern Oregon University's yield rate is 29.3%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Southern Oregon University located?

Southern Oregon University is located in Ashland, Oregon 97520.

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