PORTLAND, Ore. — SmartAsset has conducted an annual study ranking the 10 "Best Value Colleges" in the nation and in each state since 2015, when it declared that Reed College in Portland — one of the state's most prestigious and exclusive liberal arts colleges — was the No. 1 best value in Oregon.
In the eight years since then, Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls — the sixth-largest state university in one of the more remote areas of the state — has been No. 1 every year. Reed, has ranked No. 4 or No. 5 for seven out of the last eight years.
According to its methodology, SmartAsset indexed five factors to come up with the annual rankings: "tuition, student living costs, scholarship and grant offerings, student retention rate, and starting salary for new graduates." It captured costs through in-state tuition as well as expenses like housing and meals, transportation, books and other supplies. Tuition and living costs each made up 25% of the score.
Colleges' ability to lower costs through scholarships and grants accounted for 12.5% of their score. "Student’s return on investment" was measured with median starting salary (25% of score) and the retention rate of students re-enrolling to complete their degree (12.5%).
The Portland Business Journal, a KGW News partner, has the state’s rankings here.
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