Portland University: Returning Students' Success Stories

The University of Portland welcomes returning students with transfer credits and considers them valued members of the campus community for the wealth of experience and character they bring. Transfer students can apply to the University of Portland using the Common App or UP application, and there is no application fee for new transfer students. Transfer students are eligible for scholarships, with awards ranging from $14,000 to $28,000 for students with a GPA of at least 3.00. Students can also review the University's Block Transfer Credit policy and Course-Level Transfer Credit policy to understand how their previous credits will be transferred.

Explore related products

The Reenrollment of High School Dropouts in a Large, Urban School District

$15.75

HEALTH INSURANCE EXCHANGES: Changes in Benchmark Plans and Premiums and Effects of Automatic Re-enrollment on Consumers’ Costs (GAO - DHHS)

$19.99

Housing sign-ups and selection

The University of Portland has a two-year residency requirement for all full-time undergraduate students, who are expected to live on campus during their first and second years. Incoming students can request to be exempt from this requirement, and exemptions are reviewed twice monthly by a committee.

The University recommends that new undergraduate students live on campus, as it is considered the best way to meet people and make friends. New students can submit a housing application by June 10, 2025, and will be informed of their housing and roommate assignments in mid-June.

There are nine traditional residence halls, and about half of the students in each of these buildings are first-year students. Three of these halls are co-ed, three are female-facing, and three are male-facing. There are very few single rooms in traditional residence halls, and 50% of rooms are reserved for first-year students. Co-ed halls tend to be the most popular.

Students can browse available rentals and apartments on eRezLife. There are 2-to-6-person rentals and 4-7-person apartments, with one 18-person apartment in Tyson. UP Rental homes only have single rooms, while Haggerty & Tyson apartments have some singles and at least one double room. Students can change their room assignments to decide which roommate will live in the single and double rooms.

Students who are studying abroad in the Fall semester must submit a spring application, which opens in early Fall. They cannot reserve a space for the Fall semester. If a student is on campus in the Fall and continues their studies in the Spring, their contract is for the entire school year.

Students who miss the Spring application deadline can still submit a housing application and will be assigned a later timeslot for housing selection. They can also join a roommate group with a student who applied before the deadline. If there are no rooms available, they can be placed on a waitlist.

Students who are part of a roommate group can be added to the room that one of their roommates chooses. Students who are not part of a roommate group can be assigned a room by a Residence Life staff member, based on their application preferences and available rooms.

Students who have a housing accommodation with AES must complete a housing application and email [email protected] by Monday, February 13, to be assigned to a room that suits their accommodation needs.

Students may be released from their housing contract under certain circumstances, including withdrawal from the University, marriage, required care of a dependent, graduation, approved study abroad, or extenuating circumstances.

Returning undergraduate or graduate students may choose to live off-campus, either in an apartment, a house, or with a host family.

Roommate groups

Returning students at the University of Portland have a few options for accommodation. Students can choose to live off-campus in an apartment, a house, or with a host family. The University recommends that students who choose to live off-campus arrive early to find suitable housing. Alternatively, returning students can choose to live on campus. There are a variety of 2-to-6-person rentals and 4-7-person apartments available. Students can log on to eRezLife to browse available rentals and apartments.

The University of Portland assigns roommates to all new students, as research shows that having a roommate in the first and second years of college is an important part of the learning and development process. Students can request a specific roommate by name, and roommates will be matched based on the answers provided in the housing application. Students are encouraged to contact their assigned roommates via email or phone to get to know them better.

For returning students who are interested in on-campus housing, roommate groups can be formed in the University Housing Portal. Students must first be deemed eligible for on-campus room selection before they can search for and match with a roommate. Roommate pairs can only be created between two eligible students. Students on the waiting list will be notified on September 13 regarding their status for the upcoming academic year, and will be made eligible in groups as capacity allows.

Housing contract cancellation

• Withdrawal from the University
• Marriage
• Required care of a dependent
• Graduation
• Approved study abroad
• Extenuating circumstances beyond a student’s control that were not present at the time of housing selection, and that are generally related to acts of God (financial-related reasons including expense, and physical- or health-related reasons for which the University offers supportive resources on campus, will not be considered under the extenuating circumstances criterion in cases where the student is planning to continue their enrollment and coursework at UP)

The University of Portland may also decide to cancel a student’s contract if the student does not move in (including “no shows” on Move-In Day) or if the student is found to not be actively living in their assigned space. This will result in a contract cancellation fee being charged to the student’s account. The amount of the contract cancellation fee will depend on the date.

It is important to note that students removed from housing for violating any terms of the contract, Life on the Bluff, or the University Bulletin, or who are removed for non-payment of institutional charges, will be responsible for full room and board charges through the remainder of the semester. Additionally, students must consult with their Hall Director and the Office of Residence Life prior to moving out of the residence hall.

Graduation rates

The University of Portland has a freshmen retention rate of 86%, which is above the national average of 70.57%. The average first-to-second-year retention rate for colleges and universities in Oregon is 67.48%.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a student is considered to have graduated on time if they complete their degree within six years. The official University of Portland graduation rate is 81%. The average University of Portland student takes 4.13 years to graduate with a bachelor's degree.

The University of Portland's six-year graduation rate for non-first-time students who attended classes full-time was 83% for the class of 2015. This is higher than the national average for students in this category, which is 49.57% after four years, 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.

In comparison, Portland State University's six-year graduation rate for non-first-time students who attended classes full-time was 58% for the class of 2015. After eight years, the graduation rate was 59%.

First-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are much more likely to graduate in four years. It is common for part-time and/or adult students to take longer to graduate.

Retention rates

The retention rate at the University of Portland is a measure of how many first-year students return for their second year. The retention rate for full-time undergraduates at the University of Portland was 86%, higher than the national average of 70.57% and the Oregon average of 67.48%. The University of Portland is a private institution founded in 1901, with a total undergraduate enrollment of 3,136 as of Fall 2023. The tuition and fees for the 2025 edition of Best Colleges are $58,100. The University has an endowment valued at nearly $299 million as of the 2022 fiscal year.

In comparison, Portland State University has a freshmen retention rate of 75%, also above the national average. The six-year graduation rate for returning students in the class of 2015 was 58%, higher than the national average for students in this category. After eight years, the graduation rate was 59%.

Portland Community College has a freshmen retention rate of 62%, which is similar to the national average. The six-year graduation rate for returning students in the class of 2015 was 15%, lower than the national average. After eight years, the graduation rate was 16%.

Frequently asked questions