Is Oregon State University Online a Good School?
Oregon State University Online (Oregon State University Ecampus or Oregon State Ecampus) was founded in 2002 in an attempt of OSU, a public research university that’s located in Corvallis, Oregon, to combine 21st-century innovation and more than 150 years of institutional excellence for distance learners to experience for themselves.
There are over 1,750 online courses in more than 110 subjects available at Oregon State University Ecampus.
Some of its undergraduate online degrees include accounting, computer science, public health and Spanish.
The cost of each credit at Oregon State Ecampus can range from $253 to $561, depending on the program.
About to enter college as a non-traditional student and got Oregon State University Ecampus on your list?
Read on to get to know this online school much better so that you can make a much more informed decision.
What is Oregon State University Online Known For?
Oregon State University Online is known for offering more than 90 online programs, ranging from bachelor’s degrees to master’s pathway graduate certificates. It offers both purely online and hybrid classes.
For seven consecutive years, OSU Online has been #4 in Best Online Bachelor’s Programs by US News.
Not all online colleges and universities are cut from the same cloth. It’s true that all of them operate via the internet.
However, some are above the rest in terms of things such as the number of online programs available, types of classes offered, and rankings by various college ranking sites.
Unlike some online schools, OSU Online has a physical campus.
As a matter of fact, Oregon State University has been considered the biggest institution in Oregon for seven years straight in terms of enrollment.
It was only back in 2002 when Oregon State University Online came into being.
But before that, the school was already offering distance education in the 1980s. Back then, it specialized in liberal studies through textbooks and videos sent via postal service.
Oregon State University Online takes pride in the fact that its on-campus faculty members work with its online staff to make sure that its online students enjoy a sense of community.
So, in other words, even if you are taking 100% online classes, you can still experience what it’s like to partake in traditional classes while remaining in the comfort of your home.
Oregon State University Online Ranking
Oregon State University itself is a high-ranking institution.
For instance, it is #162 in National Universities by US News. As an online school, it is #3 in Best Online Colleges in America by Niche.
Many of the degrees OSU Online offers appear in various rankings, too.
College rankings allow students to identify some of the top schools according to their needs and priorities — national universities, regional universities, liberal arts colleges, HBCUs, etc.
Many of the online programs of Oregon State University Online appear on various ranking sites.
Last year, more than 1,200 online programs offered by various regionally accredited online institutions were surveyed by one of the most popular college ranking sites in the nation, US News.
The following are the online programs offered by Oregon State University Online ranked by US News:
- #2 in Best Online Bachelor’s in Psychology Programs
- #3 in Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Veterans
- #3 in Best Online Bachelor’s in Business Programs
- #9 in Best Online Master’s in Engineering Programs for Veterans
- #16 in Best Online Master’s in Engineering Programs
US News also placed OSU Online’s bachelor’s programs at #4 in Best Online Bachelor’s Programs and its MBA programs at #94 in Best Online MBA Programs.
Just because Oregon State University Online rankings can impress doesn’t mean right away that it’s the right online school for you.
There are many things to consider when making a college list, ranging from the cost of attendance to the programs available.
Refrain from rushing when shortlisting colleges because it’s your future that is on the line.
Is Oregon State University Online Accredited?
Oregon State University Online is an accredited school. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). The accrediting agency has been recognized by the US Department of Education (USDE) since 1952 and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) since 2019.
Before applying to any online college or university, there is one very important step a student should take. And it’s none other than making sure that the institution operating in cyberspace is accredited.
Having accreditation is a telltale sign that it’s a legitimate online school offering legitimate programs.
But just because the website says it’s accredited doesn’t mean the institution can be trusted.
Some diploma mills make up accreditation in order to make themselves appear recognized and reputable.
However, a quick background check will reveal the fact their accreditors are not recognized by USDE or CHEA.
Oregon State University Online is an accredited online school. Its accreditor is not just any accrediting agency — NWCCU is a recognized regional accrediting agency that accredits various institutions for higher education in:
- Alaska
- Idaho
- Montana
- Nevada
- Oregon
- Utah
- Washington
Besides making Oregon State University Online a legit online school, being regionally accredited allows the students to enjoy a number of perks.
For instance, in case you decide to move to another regionally accredited online school or a traditional one, it is very much likely for your earned credits to transfer without much trouble.
Going to a regionally accredited school also helps you win a competitive financial aid award you are eligible for. It lets you have peace of mind, too, that the online degree you will earn will be respected by potential employers.
Is Oregon State University Online a Diploma Mill?
Oregon State University Online is not a diploma mill. Proof of this is the fact that its accreditor is recognized by both USDE and CHEA.
This means that its online academics and programs meet and even surpass certain standards. OSU Online is also ranked by sites that rank only legitimate schools.
When online schools are mentioned, many students and their parents can’t help but feel doubtful.
No one can blame them because there are a lot of sites on the internet claiming to offer college degrees that are absolutely worth nothing.
So, in other words, the degrees they issue are not accepted and respected by employers.
These days, almost 3,000 diploma mills are believed to be in existence — over 1,000 are in the US.
Because Oregon State University Online’s accreditation is granted by an accrediting agency the USDE and CHEA recognize, you can rest assured that it’s far from being a diploma mill.
Needless to say, the college degree you will earn from it has value, which means that it can help you land the job of your dreams after graduation.
You can also use the degree you will get your hands on to apply to a regionally accredited graduate school in case you wish to be a holder of a master’s or doctoral degree.
OSU Online, in a nutshell, does not have any of the unmistakable characteristics of a diploma mill.
How Much Does It Cost to Attend Oregon State University Online?
The average cost of attending Oregon State University Online as an incoming freshman for one academic year is $11,245.
The amount is based on a $331 cost of tuition per credit and a $30 cost of books and supplies per credit.
The estimated cost of going to OSU Online can vary from program to program.
Per academic year, the national average rate of attending an online college is $9,600 to $15,150.
So, in other words, the cost of being an Oregon State University Online student for a year is within the median range.
Earning an online degree from the Oregon-based public school is more affordable than completing a traditional degree since there are no room and board and other costs related to going to a physical campus.
Below, you will come across the breakdown of the estimated cost of attending Oregon State University Online for one academic year.
For this example, let’s set the number of credits to 30 per year:
| EXPENSES | COST |
|---|---|
| Application | $65 |
| Matriculation | $350 |
| Tuition | $9,930 (cost per credit: $331) |
| Books/supplies | $900 (cost per credit: $30) |
| TOTAL | $11,245 |
An incoming freshman’s cost of attending Oregon State University Online for one year amounts to $11,245.
Since the matriculation fee applies only to new students, it’s a one-time fee that a student no longer has to pay for attending OSU Online for the subsequent years until the completion of his or her online program.
Doing the math, the total cost of a bachelor’s degree from OSU Online amounts to $43,930.
To put the sticker price of attending Oregon State University Online for one academic year into context, let’s take a look at the breakdown of the estimated cost of attending on-campus classes at the institution per year:
| EXPENSES | IN-STATE COST | OUT-OF-STATE COST |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $9,846 | $29,346 |
| Miscellaneous fees | $1,869 | $1,869 |
| Books/supplies | $1,200 | $1,200 |
| Room and board | $12,306 | $12,306 |
| Personal expenses | $2,694 | $2,694 |
| TOTAL | $27,915 | $47,415 |
It’s true that Oregon State University Online tuition is slightly higher than the on-campus in-state tuition.
However, the absence of various costs, such as room and board, makes earning a degree from OSU Online cheaper.
Oregon State University Online Acceptance Rate
The acceptance rate at Oregon State University Online is 96%, which means that it’s a less selective online institution. The acceptance rate for OSU’s traditional programs is 82%.
Despite having different acceptance rates, the admissions requirements for all incoming freshmen students are the same.
Applying to Oregon State University Online is like applying to most other online schools.
OSU Online, like many other colleges and universities, traditional and online alike, has a holistic admissions process.
This means that applicants are evaluated based on the overall strength of the application.
The following are some of the things that the admissions officers consider when evaluating a freshman applicant:
- GPA
- Test score
- Strength of curriculum
Like many public institutions, Oregon State University Online accepts not only applicants with a high school diploma but also those with an equivalent, such as a GED certificate.
The majority of students that apply to online schools are not the traditional kinds.
At Oregon State University Online, the admissions requirements and steps for non-traditional students are slightly different from traditional students. Here’s how to apply if you are a non-traditional student who wishes to earn an online degree from OSU Online:
- Complete the online admissions application.
- Pay a non-refundable application fee upon submission of application.
- Send official high school or college transcripts.
- Submit official SAT or ACT score (sent electronically from College Board or ACT).
Refrain from assuming that just because Oregon State University Online has a high acceptance rate means you will surely gain admission into it.
If your application fails to impress the school’s admissions officers, you may wind up getting a rejection letter from the online institution.
This is when the importance of calculating your college chances before shortlisting OSU Online comes in.
How Many Students Attend Oregon State University Online?
Oregon State University has a total student population of 33,359. Of those, 8,840 (26%) are enrolled at OSU Online.
The online school offers hybrid classes (a mixture of on-campus and online classes) and fully online classes. Only a little more than 100 online students are attending hybrid classes.
In terms of enrollment, Oregon State University has been the largest in The Beaver State for seven consecutive years.
The total number of students attending OSU Online has increased by 1,373 from the previous year, bringing the total population of the school’s online students to 8,840.
The vast majority of enrolled students are taking purely online classes. Only 1% (118) of the total number of online students are taking hybrid classes.
Despite this, more students are taking both on-campus and online classes at Oregon State University Online than the previous year, which had a total of 97 hybrid-class students.
Some of the degrees OSU Online offers are hybrid. On the other hand, the rest are only online.
Opting for the hybrid kind allows you to enjoy the best of both worlds — being a traditional and online college student.
As a result of this, you can develop all sorts of skills that can help increase your job market value.
However, it doesn’t mean that taking a purely online degree is a bad thing. If you are a non-traditional student who is busy with your work, business or family, it can work to your full advantage.
Related Article: How Long Does It Take to Get a Bachelor’s Degree Online
How Much Do Oregon State University Online Graduates Make?
Fresh graduates from Oregon State University Online who are employed make an average of $40,000 every year. After 10 years, however, the average salary they make per year increases, amounting to $53,900.
Some degrees from OSU Online allow graduates to enjoy higher initial annual salaries on average.
Some non-traditional students want to work on a degree to get better jobs or make more per year.
If you are one of them, you will be happy to know that certain online degrees Oregon State University Online offers allow the people who have earned them to make a lot of money even in their first jobs after college.
For instance, Computer Science graduates tend to earn the highest right away, with an average annual salary of $69,600.
Related Article: Do Employers Accept Online Degrees?
They are followed by those who have completed certain types of Engineering programs, making anywhere from $68,500 to $69,300 every year after completing their online degrees.
Let’s take a look at how much money, on average, some OSU Online graduates make annually based on the bachelor’s degrees they earned from the online institution:
| BACHELOR’S DEGREE | AVERAGE ANNUAL EARNINGS |
| Computer Science | $69,600 |
| Electrical Engineering | $69,300 |
| Construction Engineering | $68,500 |
| Industrial Engineering | $65,900 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $61,200 |
| Civil Engineering | $60,000 |
| Chemical Engineering | $57,900 |
| Accounting | $50,100 |
| Finance | $48,500 |
| Teacher Education | $45,300 |
| Forestry | $44,500 |
| Business Administration | $42,900 |
| Business Management | $42,900 |
| Biomedical Engineering | $42,100 |
| Marketing | $41,300 |
| Food Science and Technology | $39,000 |
| Natural Sciences | $38,900 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences | $36,900 |
| Chemistry | $36,700 |
| Economics | $36,100 |
| Public Health | $35,200 |
| Design and Applied Arts | $33,500 |
| Sociology | $32,200 |
| History | $31,700 |
| Anthropology | $31,000 |
| Political Science | $31,000 |
| Digital Communication | $30,500 |
| Mathematics | $29,200 |
| Psychology | $28,600 |
| Biology | $28,200 |
| Family Studies | $28,000 |
| Physical Education | $27,700 |
| English Language and Literature | $25,800 |
| Food Science and Technology | $25,500 |
| Fisheries Sciences and Management | $24,800 |
| Animal Sciences | $24,100 |
| Visual and Performing Arts | $22,800 |
Is Oregon State University Online a Good School
Oregon State University Online is a good school for non-traditional students who wish to earn a degree via the internet, either by taking purely online or hybrid classes.
Also called Oregon State University Ecampus, OSU Online is known for online degrees like Liberal Arts, Engineering, and Business.
Oregon State University Online, like its traditional campus, is regionally accredited. This means that it’s not a diploma mill and that the academic experience and degree you will get from it meet or even surpass certain standards.
So, in other words, your chosen online degree, which you can complete through purely online or hybrid classes, will be respected by employers after graduating from OSU Online.
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the College Reality Check.
