2026 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in Oregon
[Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies](/majors/ethnic-cultural-gender-studies/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 11 schools to find the best return on investment for area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students.
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2026 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in Oregon
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools
Portland State University earned the #1 spot for value among area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies schools in Oregon. Located in the city of Portland, Portland State University is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $11,118 in tuition and fees, compared with $29,136 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies graduates is $26,500. Early-career area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies graduates make about $32,441. That is a strong return on a $26,500 median debt. The acceptance rate is 91%.
Students looking for strong value in area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies will find it at Southern Oregon University, which ranked #2. Set in the suburb of Ashland, Southern Oregon University is a moderately-sized public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $12,762, compared with $31,887 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies graduates is $24,951. Soon after graduation, area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degree recipients from Southern Oregon University generally make around $41,038. That is a strong return on a $24,951 median debt. The acceptance rate is 89%.
Oregon State University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies, landing the #3 spot this year. Set in the city of Corvallis, Oregon State University is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $14,400 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $38,190. Students borrow a median of $24,043 to complete the area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies program here. Soon after graduation, area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degree recipients from Oregon State University generally make around $51,000. Set against $24,043 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Oregon State University admits about 77% of applicants.
A rank of #4 makes University Of Oregon one of the best values for area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies. University Of Oregon is a very large public school located in the city of Eugene. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $15,320, while out-of-state students pay about $42,516. Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies graduates carry a median of $20,798 in student loans. Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies graduates of University Of Oregon earn a median of $31,427 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 88%.
More Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Rankings
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 11 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
