Portland State University Reviews

  • 127 Reviews
  • Portland (OR)
  • Annual Tuition: $29,706
86% of 127 students said this degree improved their career prospects
91% of 127 students said they would recommend this school to others
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Student & Graduate Reviews

Anonymous
  • Reviewed: 9/1/2015
  • Degree: Cultural Studies
"I enjoyed PSU. The variety of classes and size of the campus made it easy to have the experience I wanted to have."
Anonymous
  • Reviewed: 9/1/2015
  • Degree: Human Resources
"Personally, my college education and the experiences that came along with it were solely for the purpose of earning a degree to better my odds of finding employment and earn a higher income. I switched majors a total of three times and later decided to double-major into HR management. College was invaluable to my career now however can be be troublesome without financial support."
Greese
  • Reviewed: 9/1/2015
  • Degree: Public Health
"It was a great experience, expensive, and my sought career has nothing to do with my major. The adventure itself was the education."
Raul Preciado
  • Reviewed: 8/19/2015
  • Degree: Public Policy
"What is really nice about this program is that it is so new those who are enrolled have a lot of feedback involved in shaping the academic process. Professors are very supportive. School is reasonably inexpensive but the financial aid office is sometimes challenging to deal with. It is also unfortunately pretty culturally homogeneous."
Tea
  • Reviewed: 8/4/2015
  • Degree: Communications
"It's a great college that takes care of its business students and takes pride in all of their successes."
Psych Major
  • Reviewed: 6/30/2015
  • Degree: Psychology
"I think that PSU is a dynamic and diverse (for Portland) urban university. It may not have a great deal of prestige, but I felt very good about the quality of education I received there. The unique general education system (the University Studies program) makes fulfilling general education requirements a much more streamlined process and provides many opportunities for learning outside of one's major."
Benjamin DeRemer
  • Reviewed: 6/11/2015
  • Degree: Business
"I think the biggest con was trying to manage the changing class schedule and keeping track of it all. Some classes had weeks off during the term while others were all term. What I did like was the support I received from the faculty and the environment of the school and the surrounding areas."
Ethan Snyder
  • Reviewed: 5/25/2015
  • Degree: Public Policy
"One of the most positive aspects of being a graduate student at Portland State University is the access to faculty and small courses. The Masters of Public Policy is housed in a school that has Political Science, Public Affairs, Public Health, and Criminology in one location so students have a broad opportunity to connect with a diverse set of faculty. Negatives of this program include location: you are not located on the east coast near prominent policy institutions and do not have the opportunity to participate in influential fellowships."
Gretchen
  • Reviewed: 5/4/2015
  • Degree: Agriculture
"There are definite pluses to attending Portland State University in downtown Portland, Oregon. It is an urban school that is nestled right in the business district and is easily accessible by bike, bus and car. The secluded feel of some campuses is not in play here and that can be seen as being positive or negative. For those who are looking for a school that has a strong school culture this might not be the school for you. For others who attend school, but who are more involved in their extracurricular lives this type of school could be a good fit. I chose the Latin American Studies program at PSU because of my interest in traveling and working internationally. I found that there were some excellent classes to chose from but that the program as a whole lacked cohesion. The class range was too broad, from dance classes to conflict resolution, and the lack of focus meant that I graduated with a very topical understanding of my subjects of study. I believe I should have focused on languages. A bachelor's degree in International Studies leads to unpaid internships, but not to paying work."
Kelsey
  • Reviewed: 4/14/2015
  • Degree: Education
"PSU gets a bad rap, but it is what you make it. I was in several student organizations, studied abroad in an amazing program, and stuck to the professors that I knew were great. The campus is gorgeous, especially in the summer. Advisors are basically useless, but that is the biggest drawback."
Joshua
  • Reviewed: 3/25/2015
  • Degree: Architecture
"Portland State was a tremendous experience, located in the heart of Portland it offered a great opportunity to learn from professionals in the community and participate in the larger community. As a commuter school it didn't offer a lot of major on campus events (sports had low attendance during my time there), but there is plenty to engage in and always something going on. The professors were top notch and in the architecture department we got great support from the whole department. The architecture program was just entering the accreditation process when I attended,"
Dana Utroske
  • Reviewed: 2/19/2015
  • Degree: Educational Leadership
"A niche program in my particular interest (sustainability education) with direct ties to the local community with lots of service learning opportunities. The location is spectacular, and the student body is a great mix of students."
Stevem Woll
  • Reviewed: 1/12/2015
  • Degree: Biology
"The best let downs with Portland State University are academic competitiveness, social life, and financial aid. The school is not every competitive. It is extremely easy to get into it. There is very little social life with PSU. Outside of it in Portland there is, but not with the university. Financial aid is limited for graduate students here. There are very little university options for students at PSU."
Alma Hadzidedic
  • Reviewed: 1/2/2015
  • Degree: Social Work
"Pros: Masters of Social Work (MSW) program at the Portland State University is very competitive due to high quality education and faculty/staff. Graduate students have access to the state of the art library and gym, as well as tutoring resources (such as writing and research). This program offers various concentration/specialization choices to meet diverse interests of social work students. There are several field placement/internship liaisons advocating for students interest in specific occupations. Cons: There is inadequate space in classrooms to meet the need for some required classes, and registration process can be difficult due to insufficient capacity of allotted seats. Advisers and field supervisors are often carrying high student load, and therefore unable to always attend to the unique needs of each student. Parking is also challenging due to high demand and insufficient parking spaces on our commuter campus."
Kira Smith
  • Reviewed: 12/4/2014
  • Degree: Social Sciences
"I love my school, they offer a lot of student support and the campus is beautiful. The graduate program is really personal and I love my colleagues."
Olenka Burgess
  • Reviewed: 11/11/2014
  • Degree: English
"I am in the Publishing program within the English department. The program is one-of-a-kind in that students simultaneously take academic classes and also work at the student-run publishing house at PSU. Students in the program have many opportunities to gain valuable work experience as well as a deeper understanding of issues in contemporary publishing."
Suresh Kumar
  • Reviewed: 9/22/2014
  • Degree: MBA
"Pros- Location of campus, quality of the program/university, Capstone Project Cons- Availability of financial aid"
rachel bagley
  • Reviewed: 8/26/2014
  • Degree: Counseling
"The counseling program is really good and the school offers a diverse understanding of the field. There is also a great deal of clinical hands-on learning."
Devin Kosloff
  • Reviewed: 8/25/2014
  • Degree: Performing Arts
"There is a lot to offer if you know where to look. But there is a big issue with making it realistic to afford/attend."
Cassidy
  • Reviewed: 8/12/2014
  • Degree: Cultural Studies
"Portland State University is one of those institutions that doesn't have a single mentality or offers a single 'college experience.' It truly depends on what your major is. As far as the administration and financial services go, I think most PSU students wouldn't hesitate to throw out some complaints. The Financial Aid department is notoriously complicated (you never really know the expectations and rules behind scholarships and financial aid) and there was an impeding strike between the admin and professors last year (which was luckily avoided, but there is still tension). However, I have never had a bad experience with a counselor, the Honors College is a great institution to be involved in, and the professors throughout both of my majors (but especially Chinese) are the best you could ask for. I know a lot of my friends who are majoring in other subjects feel the same way about their profs. So, overall, the institution isn't the best (everyone feels like tuition is too high), there isn't really a 'school spirit' mentality (absolutely nobody cares about the sports teams), and the school has its issues. However, if you are looking to find amazing professors who truly care about their subjects and their students, PSU is a great place."