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The University of Portland welcomes prospective students to campus for Oregon Private College Week, July 24-28

Admissions

July 17, 2017

As part of Oregon Private College Week, the University of Portland is joining 11 other private, nonprofit colleges and universities across the state in welcoming hundreds of prospective students and their families to campus July 24-28.

Presented by the Oregon Alliance of Independent Colleges and Universities, the week offers prospective students and their families the opportunity to visit, explore, ask questions, learn about academic programs and financial aid, talk to admissions staff, and tour campuses. Campus visitation sessions will begin on participating campuses at 9 a.m. and at 2 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Students who register in advance and visit at least four institutions during the week will receive application fee waivers.  Students may use these fee waivers to apply to any Alliance member college or university. For more information about Oregon Private College Week, or to view a list of participating colleges, or to register, please visit www.oregonprivatecolleges.com.

Oregon’s Private Colleges
On May 31, Governor Kate Brown declared July 24-28, 2017 Oregon Private College Week, proclaiming the “indispensable contributions private, nonprofit colleges and universities make to Oregon’s communities and to the state’s higher education attainment goals.” 

Together, The Alliance’s member colleges and universities offer degrees in more than 260 fields of study, including engineering, business, law, and computer science. Oregon’s private, nonprofit higher education sector enrolls 19 percent of the state’s undergraduate students, awards 23 percent of its undergraduate degrees, and confers one in four of STEM and health baccalaureate degrees earned by students of color.

The majority of undergraduate students (61 percent) enrolled in Alliance member institutions finish their bachelor’s degrees in four years, the highest rate of completion in the state. More than one in four graduate with zero school debt.

Private colleges also use Oregon Private College Week to address many misconceptions about private higher education:

  • Nearly one in three undergraduates at an Alliance member institution receives/is eligible for Federal Pell grants.
  • Student loan default rates of students who graduate from one of Oregon’s private, nonprofit colleges are the lowest in the state, and the rates are half those of four-year private nonprofit colleges and universities nationwide.
  • Ninety-three percent of first time, first year students at private, nonprofit colleges and universities receive financial aid, with an average grant and scholarship award of over $20,000 per year.

 About The Alliance

The Oregon Alliance of Independent Colleges and Universities represents 18 of Oregon’s regionally accredited, nonprofit private institutions of higher education. Together, Alliance colleges and universities enroll more than 35,000 students, conferring approximately one in four baccalaureate degrees and about half of the master’s and doctoral degrees awarded in Oregon. More than one in four graduates complete their degrees with zero debt; average debt for those students who graduate with debt is on par with the national and Oregon average. The Alliance intersects the needs of business and industry, with private nonprofit colleges and the public good to create real solutions that build a more educated and skilled workforce for Oregon. For more information, visit www.oaicu.org.