The state of Oregon has ambitious educational goals. By 2025, at least 40 percent of Oregonians in the 25 to 64 age range to have a four-year degree and another 40 percent to earn an associate degree or certificate. Two programs are in place to support those goals: Oregon Opportunity Grants and the Oregon Promise, both designed to make college more affordable.
Continue reading to learn about the 10 best online colleges in Oregon as well as state scholarships that can help you pay for your online degree.
Here at OnlineColleges.com, we used carefully selected criteria to create multiple rankings on the best online schools in Oregon. Each school included in our rankings has been accredited by a body such as the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). To find out why accreditation is important, check out our page "What is College Accreditation?" For accreditation information specific to Oregon, visit the Oregon Department of Education.
Our rankings are designed to assist students in finding the right online Oregon school for them. They allow them to easily identify a number of factors of each school, including the ratio of students participating in distance education, the availability of tuition plans and the total electronic library collections. Our "What Makes a Good Online College?" section of our "About Us" page explains why we believe these factors play a vital role in the Oregon online college experience.
A startlingly large number of high-quality educational institutions in Oregon are offering online courses and programs to their student body, which can make it difficult to decide which one is best for you. To help with your decision, we've applied a unique methodology to data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and found 10 of the very best Oregon colleges offering distance education options.
Visit our methodologies page to learn more about how we use official data to evaluate schools.
What is Eastern Oregon University like?
Advancing to the No.1 spot on our list of best online colleges in Oregon from a No.2 ranking in the 2018-2019 year, Eastern Oregon University — known as the state's rural university — delivers online majors, minors and certificate programs as well as through on-campus degree programs.
What online programs are at Eastern Oregon University?
Online majors and minors are available at EOU in fields ranging from economics and psychology to history and political science. Certificate programs in computer science and post-baccalaureate accounting create more options for online learners. Perhaps the most interesting option is the integrative studies degree program, which lets online students build a customized bachelor's degree program composed of two minors and a capstone course.
What online resources does Eastern Oregon University offer?
The online writing center at EOU may be particularly helpful to students, with writing tutorials and peer writing assistance at no additional cost. Online tutoring also comes through the school's eTutoring departments and is available in subjects as diverse as accounting, statistics, web development and chemistry.
What is Oregon State University like?
Distance education at Oregon State University began in the late 1800s when lecturers used to teach from the caboose of a train. Well over a century later, OSU has become a world-class research university that offers degree programs online as well as on-campus.
What online programs are at Oregon State University?
Undergraduate and graduate degree programs are offered online and in hybrid format at Oregon State University. Undergrad and graduate certificates as well as minors are additional choices for students who seek remote access.
Online courses are delivered via the Canvas Learning Management system using the school's Ecampus platform. Depending on major, some students may need to occasionally be on-campus or at another site for test proctoring, field work or internships.
What online resources does Oregon State University offer?
Distance learners at OSU can access career services, technical help and online tutoring. They can also use the OSU Libraries online or participate in the Success Coaching program to establish goals in line with their strengths.
What is the Concordia University-Portland like?
A private, nonprofit Christian school, Concordia University-Portland offers a liberal arts education to students of any faith. One of 10 universities founded by the Lutheran Church as of 2019, Concordia University has built multicultural partnerships in the greater community. Students can join in community service and outreach, participate in study-abroad opportunities or enroll in campus-based or online degree programs.
What online programs are at the Concordia University-Portland?
Concordia's range of online degree programs include a B.S. in healthcare administration, a bachelor's degree in business administration and numerous M.Ed. programs with various specialties.
Online programs have multiple start dates throughout the year, with some programs offering as many as six start dates annually. According to the university itself, Concordia students typically spend between 12 to 20 hours weekly completing assignments and doing other course activities.
What online resources does Concordia University-Portland offer?
A Blackboard orientation is available online to help students learn more about the Blackboard Learning Management system, the school's online delivery platform. Students also can request online help from tech support or student support services.
What is Northwest Christian University like?
Moving up to the No.4 ranking on OnlineCollege's 2019-20 list of online universities in Oregon, Northwest Christian University offers a broad range of educational opportunities and field experiences to students. Founded in 1895 by a pastor and educator, NCU maintains undergraduate majors, adult degree majors and graduate programs of study, including online master's degree programs.
What online programs are available at Northwest Christian University?
Online degree programs at NCU have multiple start dates throughout the school year. Students can choose from RN-to-BSN or RN-to-MSN programs in nursing or online programs in accounting, business administration, teacher education, psychology and more. Some courses and degree programs also offer students the opportunity to participate in face-to-face sessions, typically available one night a week.
What online resources does Northwest Christian University offer?
Students can learn more about NCU by logging onto the school's Beacon News and finding updates on athletic games, school happenings and club meetings. The Beacon Fan Store also is accessible online, selling school gear such as totes, hats and scarves, T-shirts and even drinkware.
What is Oregon Institute of Technology like?
Returning to our list of accredited online schools in Oregon for a subsequent year, Oregon Institute of Technology is a public college offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs along with an Honors Program and Study Abroad options. Students also can enroll for pre-professional programs that include pre-dentistry, pre-medical and pre-pharmacy, as well as degree programs in several sustainable technology fields.
What online programs are at Oregon Institute of Technology?
Online bachelor's completion degree programs at OIT are available in disciplines like dental hygiene, echocardiography, respiratory care and vascular technology. Traditional four-year programs can also be completed remotely in fields like applied psychology, healthcare management and information technology. There is even a selection of online associate and master's programs, certificate and specialty programs, and minors too.
As of Summer 2019, online courses are being delivered through the Canvas learning management system, accessible through students' TECHweb accounts.
What online resources does Oregon Institute of Technology offer?
Zoom, a web-conferencing program, is available to use for virtual help or to carry out office hours with instructors. Students also have access to library resources, 24/7 librarian help, peer consulting and academic support services.
What is Southwestern Oregon Community College like?
Southwestern Oregon Community College, located along the state's southern coast, offers certificates of completion, associate degree programs and transfer credit programs. Just two miles away from the ocean, SWOCC has adopted core themes that include access, community engagement, learning and achievement, and sustainability. The school's student programming is diverse, incorporating innovation challenges and showcases, technology career panel discussions and life coach seminars.
What online programs are at Southwestern Oregon Community College?
Online coursework offered through SWOCC is available through the school's eLearning platform. Courses are divided into modules that include discussions, homework and quizzes. As of Spring 2019, the school has begun offering individual online courses as well as online associate degree programs in childhood education and digital design.
What online resources does Southwestern Oregon Community College offer?
The Academic Testing Center and Career Services Center both offer student resources, including Resumizer, an online resume builder. Online tutoring is available through Skype, and more than 150,000 eBooks can be accessed through the school's library. The LearningExpress tool is also available, allowing online students to take trial versions of specific certification tests in order to practice for the real thing.
What is Tillamook Bay Community College like?
About 75 percent of Tillamook Bay Community College's students seeking a certificate or degree in 2017-18 were working on associate degrees to transfer to a four-year school, while approximately a quarter were enrolled in career or technical programs. In addition to a range of certificate and associate degree programs, TBCC also offers non-credit community education programs and dual-credit options.
What online programs are at Tillamook Bay Community College?
TBCC offers an online associate degree program in business administration that can be taken with an emphasis in accounting or management, as well as various individual online courses. Students access course content through the Moodle platform, which can be found through the "My TBCC" portal.
Additionally, students looking for good careers in Oregon may be able to boost their knowledge with online non-credit, fee-based courses. These courses cover topics such as database management and networking fundamentals and are delivered through TBCC's Online Instruction Center.
What online resources does Tillamook Bay Community College offer?
TBCC's Online Bookstore enables students to purchase needed books around-the-clock and have them delivered to a home address. TBCC's Moodle Help Site is a source of online help tutorials for logging-in, sending emails, engaging in forums, uploading documents and other features of the Moodle system.
What is Chemeketa Community College like?
Chemeketa Community College prioritizes values such as diversity, sustainability and accessibility, but it also prioritizes convenience to higher education through campus-based and online coursework. The school's name comes from a local Native American word, meaning "Gathering Place," and the school has athletic teams, an art gallery, a College Credit Now program and a Center for Business and Industry.
What online programs are at Chemeketa Community College?
Almost 1,200 distance-based courses are available to Chemeketa Community College students through the Chemeketa Online platform and Blackboard learning management system. Students can complete the Oregon Transfer Module online through Chemeketa, as well as multiple degree and certificate programs in fields like accounting, hospitality and tourism management and juvenile justice.
What online resources does Chemeketa Community College offer?
A wide selections of services help make distance learners at Chemeketa feel at home. These include access to the library, the online writing center, advising and the bookstore, as well as eTutoring in many different subject areas.
What is the Umpqua Community College like?
Located in the Umpqua River Valley, Umpqua Community College creates higher education opportunities for students living in the region and beyond. The average age of credit-seeking students at the school is 29.8 years of age, and the top transfer majors include nursing, general studies and human services.
What online programs are at Umpqua Community College?
Students looking for two-year online degree programs in Oregon can find a variety of distance-based associate degree programs available through Umpqua. These include A.A.S. programs in marketing, paralegal studies, medical office administration and executive business assistance. A variety of online certificate programs are also available, including in entrepreneurship or financial medical services, as are multiple individual courses.
What online resources does Umpqua Community College offer?
Prospective students can discover more about online courses and programs through the school's Office of UCCOnline. Help with Canvas, the school's delivery system for online coursework, is available via chat around the clock.
What is Klamath Community College like?
Rounding out our list of best online colleges in Oregon is Klamath Community College, which offers campus-based and online degree programs, but also a small business development center, a Worksource Center and a Center for Education and Training. Resources like these can help students find out what the top jobs in Oregon are and how they might be able to develop the skills to apply for them.
What online programs are at Klamath Community College?
Online associate degree programs available at Klamath Community College include accounting, business management, marketing and general studies. Online courses have weekly or even daily deadlines and follow the same academic terms as on-campus courses. Coursework is delivered through the Canvas learning management system.
Before starting, students take a self-place course — "Introduction to Canvas Learning Platform" — to help them decide whether or not they feel comfortable with online education.
What online resources does Klamath Community College offer?
Help with Canvas is available around the clock. Students can log onto the My KCC portal to access registration, find information about their account and see a chart tracking progress toward their degree.
Affordability is an important factor for most people looking to enroll in college. The schools listed below are among the most affordable ones in the state, based on their in-state tuition costs.
Oregon does not currently offer students any state-based loan opportunities. Instead, they focus on providing scholarships and grants through the Office of Student Access and Completion (OSAC). Students seeking financial aid assistance are encouraged to first apply for scholarships and grants to help cover their cost of tuition, as these forms of financial aid do not need to be repaid. However, if you are still in need of financial assistance, you may apply for federal and private loans to meet your college expenses. To qualify for federal loans, you will need to provide information about your family's financial situation by filling out the FAFSA.
Learn more about all types of student loans and how to repay them in the Ultimate Guide to Student Loans.
Sometimes your college plans may not work out exactly as planned — perhaps you wanted to stay in-state, but now your job or military career has taken you to another state. While this may seem like a challenge in terms of in-state tuition, there are usually several options to reduce your tuition, even if you attend university in a state that's not your home state. And there are can be fantastic opportunities when you head to a state like Oregon. Bordering California, which traditionally has had much higher cost of living, Oregon might still have a lower overall price tag for attending school because of this differential if you are from the Golden State.
Oregon also makes it easy to be treated like a resident under the tuition residency rules. For instance, there's the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), of which Oregon is a member. Students from the 16 member states and territories can get steep non-resident student discounts. In fact, during the 2017-2018 school year, more than 40,000 students saved more than $365.4 million in tuition. Find out if your state is a member and speak to your adviser about other opportunities for out-of-state students in Oregon.
You might think, "I'll decide what I want to do after I get my degree and graduate from college." However, that may not be the best way to go about things. If you major in finance, but then realize you want to go into software development afterward, you'll need a lot of schooling to make up the difference. Save yourself time and money by thinking about what kind of jobs you might be interested in before applying to college.
To help prospective students consider a career path, we've analyzed the best jobs in Oregon, by industry and by location, looking at data such as average salary and projected employment growth. Compare the top jobs in Oregon below and see which ones might suit your needs and wants best.
| Employment | Employment Growth | Median High School Salary | Median Bachelor's Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,984,460 | 12.4% | $29,668 | $49,002 |
*Industry rankings determined by annual mean wage, employment, projected growth and location quotient. Data is sourced from the BLS, 2019 dataset.
| Top Industries | Employment | Projected Growth | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ambulatory healthcare services | 1,342,640 | 14% | $64,050 |
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | 1,451,670 | 13% | $62,766 |
| Educational services; state, local, and private | 1,630,660 | 13% | $61,386 |
| Utilities | 948,780 | 12% | $64,187 |
| Insurance carriers and related activities | 1,041,330 | 11% | $63,185 |
| Telecommunications | 783,320 | 11% | $66,522 |
| Data processing, hosting, and related services | 671,580 | 10% | $67,930 |
| Pipeline transportation | 497,800 | 13% | $72,559 |
| Postal service | 501,110 | 11% | $67,320 |
| Chemical manufacturing | 993,520 | 12% | $62,524 |
Move over, California: "high tech" is a phrase that could easily describe the economic landscape of the Beaver State, too. In fact, more than 4,000 high-tech firms are located within the state's borders, creating opportunities for job growth and advancement for many high demand careers in Oregon.
Not only is Intel the state's largest private high-tech employer, it also has the biggest global manufacturing facility located there. While semiconductors and electronics comprise a significant part of Oregon's overall high-tech field, software and information technology also help to drive growth. Software and IT jobs can be found in healthcare mobile applications, financial solutions and social media. The state has proven to be a good choice for data centers, too, due to Oregon's moderate climate and low energy costs.
Overall, there are close to 3,700 different software and IT businesses in in the state, and that doesn't even come close to describing all of the good jobs to have in Oregon. Business service is also a strong sector in Oregon, boasting 32 percent growth in the past 10 years — and a fast wage growth compared with other sectors, too. Graduates from online colleges in Oregon might seek business services positions in fields like advertising, public relations, graphic design and market research.
Other high demand jobs can be found in advanced manufacturing (think chemicals, upstreamed metals and machinery), as well as food and beverages, forestry and wood products, and outdoor apparel, including companies like Adidas, Columbia Sportwear and Nike.
As with any state, potential job opportunities vary by location, which is why a closer look at two distinct state regions is provided directly below.
New graduates looking for high demand jobs in Oregon can turn to the economically-robust area of Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro. Known as the "Silicon Forest" of Oregon for its availability of tech jobs, some of the region's major employers include Intel, Tektronix, Inc., Xerox, Qorvo and others.
High paying jobs in Portland could also be found in the manufacturing or metals sectors, both which are firmly entrenched in the region. Boeing, Precision Castparts Corp. and Erickson Air-Crane Incorporated may be suitable outlets for engineering or managerial graduates seeking ways to put their skills to work.
| Best Careers | Minimum Education | Average Salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | Bachelor's degree | $108,200 | 15,710 |
| Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | Doctoral or professional degree | $156,390 | 3,240 |
| Marketing Managers | Bachelor's degree | $126,400 | 3,950 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | Bachelor's degree | $137,770 | 3,450 |
| Construction Managers | Bachelor's degree | $107,020 | 3,810 |
*Career rankings determined by annual mean wage, employment, projected growth and location quotient. Data sourced from the BLS, 2019 dataset.
Lane County, which includes the city of Eugene, had more than 450 tech businesses in operation at the end of 2017. One of the newest tech arrivals to expand into Lane County was SentinelOne, a cybersecurity business that moved into downtown Eugene. LinkedIn shows that the Oregon branch of this company has hired for positions such as inside sales representative, business development representative and support engineer, demonstrating the usefulness of those fields in this area.
If you're looking to take a gamble on the future, the 2021 World Outdoor Track & Field Championships are going to be held in Eugene. According to an article in the Register-Guard, these championships could be a way to strengthen the area's economy. Hospitality, tourism services and construction are just a few of the industries that could see expansion in Eugene during the upcoming years.
| Best Careers | Minimum Education | Average Salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | Bachelor's degree | $95,310 | 2,660 |
| Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | Bachelor's degree | $83,360 | 1,200 |
| Physician Assistants | Master's degree | $129,040 | 170 |
| Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists | Doctoral or professional degree | $75,750 | 190 |
| Sales Managers | Bachelor's degree | $114,310 | 400 |
*Career rankings determined by annual mean wage, employment, projected growth and location quotient. Data sourced from the BLS, 2019 dataset.