Oregon State University Sees Record Enrollment for 28th Straight Year, Approaching 38,000 Students

Enrollment at Oregon State University has reached a record for the 28th consecutive year, nearing 38,000 students this fall.

Among 108 Public Research 1 universities in America, only Oregon State has produced 28 consecutive years of fall-over-fall enrollment growth, according to an analysis(Link is external) by Jon Boeckenstedt, the university’s vice provost of enrollment management. The Carnegie Commission on Higher Education categorizes institutions as R1 based on the highest levels of research productivity.

“At Oregon State University, we take access and opportunity to heart, providing high-quality education to as many students as possible,” said OSU President Jayathi Murthy. “This unmatched record of enrollment growth demonstrates that we are creating pathways to success and fueling the workforce, making the world better for individuals and communities.”

With 37,900 students enrolled, up 1,264, or 3.5% from last year, Oregon State is the largest university in the state for the 11th consecutive year. (The enrollment numbers in the news release are preliminary but are expected to be very similar to official numbers finalized later this fall.)

The enrollment numbers include students at Oregon State locations in Corvallis, Bend, Portland, La Grande and through the university’s online Ecampus unit, ranked #4 in the nation for best online bachelor’s programs by U.S. News & World Report. Oregon State enrolls students from 50 states and over 100 countries and from all 36 of the state’s counties.

“Oregon State is not only the largest university in the state, but it also serves the most undergraduate, graduate, resident, nonresident, international and online students, as well as the most students on a single campus (in Corvallis),” Boeckenstedt said. “The continuing strength of our enrollment, and our leadership in Oregon is testament to the focus on serving student needs via high quality and in-demand programs.”

Ecampus is once again driving enrollment growth, with a 6.6% increase from last fall to reach a total of 11,600 students. That is a 65% increase from five years ago.

Enrollment on the Corvallis campus increased 3.3% from last year to 24,900 students this fall. At OSU-Cascades in Bend, enrollment(Link is external) is 1,370 and the number of credit hours students are taking is up 2.2%, continuing a trend towards more full-time than part-time students, Boeckenstedt said.

Several other enrollment records were also set, including:

• New undergraduates university-wide are at 7,880, up 2.5% from the previous record set last year.
• New first-year students are at a record of 5,095, up 2.6% from last year’s record of 5,008. The largest group is on the Corvallis campus, which also set a record of 4,585, up just a handful from last year’s record.
• The number of new undergraduate transfers is also at a record at 2,364, surpassing the number from fall 2020, when there was a bump from COVID, Boeckenstedt said.
• The percentage of first-year applicants admitted fell to 77.8%, down from last year’s 80.2%, and down substantially from the 90.6% rate in 2021.

Other notable 2024 enrollment figures include:

• The number of new students of color increased from 1,410 to 1,582. Of those US citizens and permanent residents who reported ethnicity, 32% are students of color.
• Undergraduate nonresident students in Corvallis are up 11.6%, or 752 students.
• The home states of the first-year class continue to diversify, with Washington overtaking California for the top spot. This year 505 first-year students came from Washington, a 220% increase from 2019. Colorado, Hawaii and Nevada filled out the top 5. Oregon State has seen triple digit percentage increases from all these states since 2019.
• Graduate student enrollment is up 5.1% and professional school enrollment is up 3.7%. Graduate student enrollment is up 16% from two years, fueled by a 20% increase in Ecampus graduate students this year. At OSU-Cascades, resident graduate students are up 30%, or 21 students.