Portland State University was founded as Vanport Extension Center in 1946, later moving to downtown Portland, Oregon in 1952 a few years after a catastrophic flood destroyed the nascent city of Vanport. In 1955, the Center changed its name to Portland State College to mark its maturation into a four-year degree-granting institution. Portland State College was granted university status in 1969, becoming Portland State University (PSU).

Today, PSU is comprised of seven constituent colleges and schools, offering undergraduate degrees in over a hundred and twenty diverse fields. The seven schools and colleges at PSU are the School of Business Administration, College of Education, School of Social Work, College of Urban and Public Affairs, College of the Arts, Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Some of the most popular undergraduate programs at PSU include Psychology, Computer Science, Biology,  Accounting, and Marketing. PSU also offers an International and Global Studies program, as well as a Public Health program, both of which offer several concentrations for specialization. 

In tandem with diverse academic excellence, PSU is leading the way to an equitable and sustainable future through urban engagement and expanding opportunity for all. Accordingly, PSU pursues excellence through accessibility, innovation, collaboration, engagement, sustainability, and transformation. PSU appreciates and positions itself as a regional anchor institution, providing the region with a highly educated population, substantial socioeconomic and sociocultural impacts, and distinctive contributions to the region’s diversity of cultures.

Portland, Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest of the United States of America, is a city of around 650,00 inhabitants located at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in Northwestern Oregon. Approximately 2.5 - 3.2 million people live in the broader Portland metropolitan area. Portland is the largest city in Oregon, and about 47% of all Oregon residents call Portland home.

Portland’s climate is known for warm, dry summers and cool, rainy winters, with snow featuring sporadically. This climate is ideal for growing roses, and Portland has been called the ‘City of Roses’. Portland offers extensive greenspace and outdoor activities. Notable parks include Forest Park, the largest wilderness park within city limits in the United States, covering more than 5,000 acres. Washington Park is just west of downtown and hosts the Oregon Zoo, Hoyt Arboretum, the Portland Japanese Garden, and the International Rose Test Garden. Portland's east side has several formal public gardens: the historic Peninsula Park Rose Garden, the rose gardens of Ladd's Addition, the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, the Leach Botanical Garden, and The Grotto.

Portland offers all the social, cultural, and entertainment amenities expected of a metropolis. Portland is home to numerous museums and educational institutions, ranging from art museums to institutions devoted to science and wildlife. Portland is also home to numerous lively cultural scenes that span the arts, most notably live music, being a haven for alternative music and various countercultural art and social scenes. In terms of cuisine, food carts are extremely popular within the city, with over 600 licensed carts, making Portland one of the most robust street food scenes in North America. Portland is also the home of several professional sports teams, which participate in national and international competitions. An unusual feature of Portland entertainment is the large number of movie theaters serving beer, often with second-run or revival films, making Portland a unique place for lovers of cinema, new and old.

Why Portland State University

• Support: PSU offers a student health and counseling center, 10 cultural and resource centers, over 200 student groups, and support services that are here to ensure students thrive in their studies and beyond.
• Inclusive: PSU promotes access, inclusion and equity as pillars of excellence.
• Small Class Sizes: PSU has an average student to faculty ratio of 15:1, ensuring the possibility of connection with faculty.
• Urban Campus: PSU’s downtown Portland campus connects students with the almost limitless unique social, commercial, and cultural amenities of Portland.
• Athletics and Recreation: Portland State’s 15 NCAA Division I sports teams play in the Big Sky conference. PSU’s newly renovated 3,000-seat Viking Pavilion provides a one-of-a-kind game day experience with space for athletics, academics, the arts and community events. Plus, anyone can join one of PSU’s intramural sports teams and join an outdoor activity-based student group.