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Portland State scholarships and merit aid

Two prices: the posted one, and yours.

Posted price$12,999per year · 2026-2027 · cost of attendance
Yours?depends on the rules below

The short answer

Portland State awards automatic merit on admission. Portland State does not publish a GPA or test chart, so you cannot self-calculate the dollars.

Where does your student land?

Verified Jun 2026
3 school sources to explore

Published rules, with the school sources close at hand. Confirm the details before you count on an award.

Step 1 of comparing your list

Check the rules that could cut this.

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Checking merit aid at Portland State

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The award collection

Published scholarships

These amounts and requirements come from the school’s own published pages. Open an award to see who qualifies and how to keep it.

Where does your student land?

  1. Out Of State Opportunity ScholarshipUp to $6,000Automatic
    Published awardAcademic thresholds

    Out Of State Opportunity Scholarship

    Up to $6,000

    Variable or qualified amountAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

  2. College Study Abroad Scholarship$2,000Automatic
    Published awardAcademic thresholds

    College Study Abroad Scholarship

    $2,000

    Published amountAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

Lights up against Portland State's published cutoffs. Not an award offer; confirm with the financial aid office. Award terms and residency rules change; some awards differ for in-state and out-of-state students. Always confirm at the school’s source page.

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What makes Portland State different

Portland State rewards strong students with honors college access and out-of-state support.

Merit tiers22 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJun 2026By our research team

Published academic criteria

Start with the thresholds.

These awards are recorded as automatic on academic criteria. Match the published grades and scores, then check residency, entering year and every additional condition.

  1. Match the published criteria

    Use all requirements together, including residency and the entering class.

  2. Check the application dates

    Confirm the current admission and scholarship deadlines directly with the school.

  3. Know what happens next year

    Check renewal, credit requirements and how other aid affects the award.

The fine print / Three questions to carry forward

Before you count on it.

Does it apply to us? Confirm the entering year, residency and every eligibility condition.

Can we keep it? Check renewal GPA, credits and how long the award lasts.

Can we combine it? Ask how outside scholarships and other school awards change the offer.

Take Portland State's decision sheet

A printable research summary, source links and room for your questions.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Out-of-state students and those drawn to urban sustainability or the honors college will find dedicated merit pathways here.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $12,999 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Portland State, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.

Average annual net price by family income at Portland State, academic year 2021-22 — in-state, Title-IV aid recipients only
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$7,655
$30,001–$48,000$7,752
$48,001–$75,000$8,981
$75,001–$110,000$12,993
$110,001+$19,112
All income levels (average)$9,552

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees (in-state), AY 2022-23
$11,679
Published tuition & fees (out-of-state), AY 2022-23
$31,074
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$9,552

That works out to roughly a 56% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $21,590 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).

Portland State is a public school; Scorecard's net price figure covers in-state, Title-IV-aid-recipient payers only — there is no comparable federal figure for out-of-state students.

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
53%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
76%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$20,500 (~$217/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$57,906
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
60%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
32%
See other scholarships and cost examples

Other Portland State scholarships worth checking

These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityWim and Alice Wiewel Diversity in Urban Sustainability Undergraduate Scholarship is awarded to an Honors student working to address challenges of climate change.

Source

AmountUp to $3,000EligibilityUniversity Honors Laurels Scholarship provides up to $3,000 annually to students who apply and are admitted to the Honors College, and does not require FAFSA.

Source

Portland State merit aid FAQ

  • What is the deadline for Laurels Scholarship?

    Students who apply to PSU and the Honors College by January 1 for fall term are automatically considered for the Honors Laurels Scholarship.

See sources and other schools

Sources used on this page

Every claim is checked against Portland State’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

The next chapter

Where does Portland State fit in your plan?

You have the school’s rules. Now put them in the context of your student and the rest of your list.

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An illustrative student profile, with a school order, scholarship research and a to-do list. Open the sample to see how it works.

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