2023 Best Online Colleges in Oregon

The public Oregon Institute of Technology (Oregon Tech) is a public college that provides a range of online bachelor's degrees. The institute's allied health programs are particularly popular, such as its online Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics degree and its Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene for current hygienists who have an associate degree. Oregon Tech accepts 95% of candidates for its bachelor's degrees, and half of all bachelor's candidates graduate with their degrees.

This school hosts online classes on the Canvas digital learning platform. Only 13% of Oregon Tech students at the bachelor level take fully online degree programs, but another 18% are enrolled in some distance education. In contrast, 32% of graduate students are enrolled in fully online programs.

Oregon State University (OSU), a public school, has dozens of online bachelor's degrees on offer. The university's Bachelor of Science in Computer Science is one of its most popular options, and a fully online version is available alongside the campus program. Other programs with high enrollment include the Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Sciences degrees. The school has an 82% acceptance rate for bachelor's programs, along with a graduation rate of 65%.

OSU's online learners sign in to the Canvas learning management system (LMS) to work on courses. Most OSU students are full-time learners, but 31% take a part-time course schedule. Similarly, 31% of students are online-only enrollees.

Portland State University (PSU) is a public institution that offers a variety of online bachelor's degree programs. These include distance-learning versions of some of PSU's most popular programs, such as bachelor's degrees in public health with five optional concentrations and either a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Social Science. The university accepts 95% of applicants for bachelor's degree programs, and 51% of admitted students graduate with degrees.

PSU delivers online courses using the Canvas LMS. The school is a federally designated Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution, with 10% of its student body coming from Asian backgrounds. About one quarter of students take a part-time course schedule.

Eastern Oregon University (EOU) is a public school featuring more than two dozen fully online bachelor's degrees. Popular fields of study include early childhood education, physical education, and interdisciplinary studies, but the programs with the highest enrollment include the school's Bachelor of Applied Science in Business and the Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. EOU's bachelor's acceptance rate is 94%, and its bachelor's graduation rate is 40%.

The university uses Canvas as its LMS to host online lectures, course materials, and discussion forums. About one-third of EOU students enroll on a part-time basis, but more than half of all enrollees (56%) take online courses exclusively.

Western Oregon University (WOU) is a public university with online degrees at the bachelor’s and master’s levels. Popular online master’s degrees at WOU, for example, include criminal justice, education, and educational technology. At a minimum, online master’s degrees can be 45-54 credit hours, so prospective students can expect to spend two years finishing one of these programs. The acceptance rate at WOU is 92%, with a graduation rate of 50%.

At WOU, online students complete courses delivered in asynchronous and synchronous formats on Canvas. The student-to-faculty ratio at WOU is 12:1. Online students may be eligible for financial aid, such as scholarships, loans, grants, and textbook rental programs. Online student support at WOU includes tutoring, disability services, an online library, a writing center, financial aid assistance, career services, a veteran’s resource center, and advising. WOU is approved by the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) to ensure online students receive high quality virtual degree programs.

Southern Oregon University (SOU), a public university, offers a few online bachelor's degrees to choose from. Two of the most popular programs are in business administration and psychology. Students can study these majors as either a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Sciences programs, depending on which general education path they want to take. The university accepts 90% of bachelor's applicants, and 47% of its bachelor's degree students graduate.

SOU's online students sign in to the Moodle LMS to interact with classmates and professors, submit assignments, and watch recorded lectures. The university was founded in affiliation with the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been publicly funded for nearly 150 years now.

At the American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS) — a private, for-profit institution — future students can pursue online associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs. Some examples of online degrees at ACHS include herbal medicine, integrative health, and aromatherapy. Online degrees at ACHS are the usual amount of credit hours, depending on the degree level. ACHS’s acceptance rate is 62%, with a 38% graduation rate.

ACHS uses the learning management system Canvas to facilitate online learning. The student-to-faculty ratio at this institution is 24:1. ACHS may accept or offer financial aid for online students, like scholarships, payment plans, loans, grants, and military funding. Online student resources at ACHS include a career center, virtual healthcare, counseling, military student services, disability services, tech support, an online library, advising, and financial aid assistance. Online students at ACHS have unlimited one-on-one access to their instructors six days per week and a plethora of virtual health and wellness services.

The University of Western States (UWS) is a private, non-profit university offering online degrees at the master’s and doctorate levels. Some of the online doctoral programs at UWS include human nutrition and functional medicine, clinical nutrition, and sports and performance psychology. These online graduate programs can be 65 quarter credit hours or more and take 2-3 years to complete with a full schedule of classes. College Scorecard, a federal database, does not provide data on this institution's acceptance and graduation rates.

At UWS, online students use Canvas to complete courses remotely. Potential financial aid opportunities for online students include scholarships, veterans benefits, loans, reimbursement, and payment plans. Online students can access accessibility services, tutoring, an online library, and academic coaching. At UWS, students can expect to improve their critical thinking skills, get interactive learning experiences, and have the flexibility and accessibility to complete their online degrees.

Bushnell University (BU) is a private, nonprofit, Christian university that offers online bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Popular online bachelor’s degrees at BU include business administration, forensic psychology, and RN to BSN. Online bachelor’s degrees are at least 124 credit hours, which can take full-time students four years to complete. To give online students flexibility in finishing their degrees, BU offers eight-week courses and start dates six times a year. The acceptance rate at BU is 68%, with a 56% graduation rate.

At BU, online students complete courses available on the learning management systems BeaconLearning and Moodle. BU’s student-to-faculty ratio is 13:1. Online students may be eligible for financial aid, such as scholarships, grants, and loans. Online students at BU can access tech support, career development, accessibility services, tutoring, and advising. Importantly, although the university is affiliated with the Christian Church, it supports LGBT students and provides resources to them, such as crisis hotlines.

Western Seminary (Western Global) is a private, interdenominational Evangelical Christian seminary with online master’s degrees. Some of these graduate degrees offered at Western Global include divinity, ministry and leadership, and applied biblical leadership. These online degrees at this institution can range between 48-82 credit hours, which can take two years or more to finish these programs.

Western Global facilitates asynchronous online learning on its learning management system. The seminary offers financial aid like scholarships, grants, and loans and accepts payment plans. Online student resources at Western Global include disability services, a writing center, and an online library. Western Global offers fully online degrees emphasizing gospel centrality and biblical theology, high quality teaching faculty, and the ability to interact with other online students in real time.

At Linfield University - Online and Continuing Education — a private, nonprofit institution — prospective students can pursue online degrees at the bachelor’s level. Some of the online bachelor’s degrees include accounting, international business, and marketing. At a minimum, these online bachelor’s degrees are 125 credit hours, so future students can expect to spend four years finishing these degrees. Linfield’s graduation rate is 72%.

Linfield’s online students complete courses delivered asynchronously and synchronously on Blackboard. Linfield’s student-to-faculty ratio is 5:1. Potential financial aid opportunities for online students include scholarships, grants, and loans. Online student services include veteran’s services, a bookstore, an online library, academic advising, tutoring, and financial aid assistance. Aside from online degrees, Linfield offers certificates, minors, and professional development programs.