by our College Data Analytics TeamSouthern Oregon University is a public institution in Ashland, Oregon enrolling 2,751 undergraduates. It accepts 89% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 43%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #1,466 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 28%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Southern Oregon University ranks #1,466 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 28%.
College Factual recognizes the best colleges and universities in its annual rankings. These rankings include categories for best overall colleges, best colleges for each major, best value schools, and much more.
Southern Oregon University was awarded 17 badges in the 2027 rankings.
College Factual ranked SOU as #1,466 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list.
SOU is also ranked #18 on the Best Colleges in Oregon list.
See all of the rankings for Southern Oregon University.
With an acceptance rate of 89%, Southern Oregon University is easier to get into than many other schools. But that doesn’t mean you can slack off on your application. Make sure to treat this school like any other when submitting requested materials and documents.
Learn more about Southern Oregon University admissions.
At Southern Oregon University, the student to faculty ratio is 23 to 1. Compared to the national average of 15 to 1, this is somewhat high. This could mean that class sizes may be larger than they are at other colleges or universities or that professors may be required to teach more classes.
In addition to the student to faculty ratio, some people look at what percentage of faculty members are full-time as a sign of how much time professors will be able to spend with their students. This is because part-time teachers may not be on campus as much as their full-time counterparts.
The full-time faculty percentage at Southern Oregon University is 56%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate tells us what percentage of first-year, full-time students choose to continue on to their sophomore year at a particular school. The rate at Southern Oregon University is 68%, which is about average when compared to the national rate of 68%.
The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at SOU for first-time, full-time students is 43%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Southern Oregon University.
The current enrollment includes 2,751 undergraduates at SOU.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Southern Oregon University.
The average net price of SOU is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $11,830 | $12,466 | $15,813 | $22,415 | $24,181 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of SOU, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At SOU, approximately 28% of students took out student loans averaging $9,495 a year. That adds up to $37,980 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 8.6%. Although this is lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, you’ll still want to keep this in mind when taking out student loans. Get more details about paying for Southern Oregon University.
Although some majors pay more than others, students who graduate from Southern Oregon University with a bachelor’s degree go on to jobs where they make an average salary of $49,175 in their early years. This is in the same neighborhood of the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. However, certain majors may produce higher-paying graduates.
See which majors at Southern Oregon University make the most money.
Southern Oregon University is an public institution situated in Ashland, Oregon. Ashland is considered a suburb and offers tranquility and safety near the excitement of a city center. Get more details about the location of Southern Oregon University.
Contact information for Southern Oregon University can be found below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 1250 Siskiyou Blvd, Ashland, OR 97520 |
| Phone: | 5415527672 |
| Website: | www.sou.edu |
| Wikipedia: | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Oregon_University |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/sou.edu |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/@souashland |
In the most recent reporting year, students from 21 majors graduated from Southern Oregon University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 880 | NA |
| Business Administration & Management | 156 | $52,149 |
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 105 | $43,181 |
| General Education | 92 | $45,167 |
| General Psychology | 83 | $28,663 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 42 | $20,457 |
| Radio, TV & Digital Communication | 36 | NA |
| Health & Physical Education | 33 | $28,131 |
| Communication & Media Studies | 32 | $26,901 |
| Criminal Justice & Corrections | 32 | $31,746 |
1,610 students took at least one online class at Southern Oregon University.
Online learning is becoming popular at even the oldest colleges and universities in the United States. Not only are online classes great for returning adults with busy schedules, they are also frequented by a growing number of traditional students.
Learn more about online learning at Southern Oregon University.
Want to see how other colleges compare to SOU? Pit them head to head with College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare colleges on the features that matter most to you.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
References