Skip to main contentNote: As anyone who's ever paid student body fees can attest, there are many factors that determine the price of education at any institution. Although we have printed the most accurate tuition information available, please keep in mind that the amounts listed do not necessarily represent the total cost of enrollment.
Arts
Art Institute of Portland
1122 NW Davis St., 228-6528, artinstitutes.edu/portland.
This Pearl District offshoot of the nationwide Art Institutes empire boasts such artists-in-residence as Claymation pioneer Will Vinton. Aspiring media mixers earn associate's and bachelor's degrees in everything from advertising to interior design—and for talented geeks, a BFA in game art and design.
Tuition: $431 per credit. Financial aid available.
Notable programs: President Steven Goldman teaches a course in comparative religion, but don't get too comparative—an obnoxious atheist game-design student was expelled after questioning a classmate's belief in leprechauns.
Attic Writers' Workshop
4232 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 963-8783, atticwritersworkshop.com.
A writer's haven located within walking distance of all of Hawthorne Boulevard's many distractions; writing workshops tend to bleed over into nearby bars and coffee shops. Class sizes are small—typically 10 to 12 students—and cover a wide variety of forms and genres.
Tuition: $235-$295 per 10-week class.
Notable programs: The Novel Writing Intensive class gives you all of the creative fervor with none of the terrible loneliness.
Northwest Film Center
934 SW Salmon St., 221-1156, nwfilm.org.
Dreaming of Tinseltown? Train with Portland and Hollywood film pros at this 35-year-old institution, where the offerings range from a four-hour lighting workshop ($95) to 13-week courses in film, video and documentary production ($790-$890).
Tuition: Free to $1120 per class, including equipment/lab fee. Financial aid available.
Notable programs: Course No. 262 challenges novices to "make a short film in 3 days"—for $740, you get a "script, cast, crew and equipment," plus those three grueling days to learn the ropes and churn out a masterpiece.
Oregon College of Art and Craft
8245 SW Barnes Road, 297-5544, ocac.edu.
Whether you're the next Rodin, a budding shutterbug or the king of shop class, the OCAC will help you earn a BFA or studio-intensive three-year certificate in the craft of your choosing, including fiber and book arts.
Tuition: $8,450 per semester, plus studio fees. Financial aid available.
Notable programs: Since 2003, the school has offered an even more intensive two-year Artisanry Studies Certificate. It's like super-training for Saturday Market success!
Pacific Northwest College of Art
1241 NW Johnson St., 226-4391, pnca.edu.
Stay artsy while building a professional portfolio for all sorts of media and design careers under the mentorship of artists like Monica Drake and David Eckard. PNCA, originally an outgrowth of the Portland Art Museum, offers BFA programs in disciplines like illustration, printmaking, sculpture and the wacky, anything-goes "intermedia."
Tuition: $772 per credit or $18,530 per year of full-time enrollment. Financial aid available.
Notable programs: Looking for an intensive, interdisciplinary, post-graduate arts education that lasts two years (for a mere $26,500)? PNCA offers a closely mentored MFA in visual studies.
Home Ec
Oregon Culinary Institute (Pioneer Pacific College)
2140 SW Jefferson St., Suite 100, 961-6200, oregonculinaryinstitute.com.
Nestled in Goose Hollow, newly opened OCI has produced some formidable culinary talent within its first year by turning wide-eyed newbies into catering managers (Artemis Foods), sous chefs (Sal's Famous Italian Kitchen) and lead line cooks (Castagna Restaurant and Bluehour). The school's "learning by doing" approach focuses on perfecting technique in kitchen labs under the tutelage of accredited instructors in programs ranging from bakery and pastry certification to an associate's degree in applied science.
Tuition: $9,550-$23,400 per program. Financial aid available.
Notable programs: OCI offers "consumer classes" (including a popular "bring a date" class), providing professional instruction for civilians with more modest culinary aspirations. And don't miss OCI's campus restaurant (1704 SW Jefferson St.), which serves four-course lunches and dinners Monday through Thursday, allowing talented students to test their skills on the palates of deal-loving local foodies ($9 lunch, $14 dinner; call 961-6200 for reservations).
Western Culinary Institute
921 SW Morrison St., Suite 40, 223-2245, wci.edu.
Founded in 1983 and formerly known as Horst Mager Culinary Institute, WCI offers the standard two-year culinary college fare with flair: personalized chef-instructors, an array of specialized courses and degrees, in-kitchen experience, the stylish hat and so on. WCI grads can be found in the kitchens of respected institutions like Timberline Lodge and Bistro 921.
Tuition: Around $20,000 per year. Financial aid available.
Notable programs: Thanks to a partnership with Le Cordon Bleu, graduating students can venture into professional chefdom with a coveted Le Cordon Bleu Diplôme in hand.
Health/P.E.
Birthingway College of Midwifery
12113 SE Foster Road, 760-3131, birthingway.org.
One of only 10 accredited schools of midwifery in the country, Birthingway frowns upon hierarchy and competition and emphasizes cooperative learning among its 68 students. In addition to a rigorous three-year program of midwifery (the fine science of delivering babies), the school offers childbirth education programs. Birthingway students are known to gripe about tuition and the skimpy federal grants given to shoulder it.
Tuition: $11,000-$12,000 per year for the midwifery program. Financial aid available.
Notable programs: In addition to its nationally accredited program in midwifery, the school offers a variety of workshops to train doulas (non-medical assistants who provide emotional support during the birthing process).
Linfield College School of Nursing and Health Sciences
2215 NW Northrup St., 413-7161, linfield.edu/portland.
Located at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital off Northwest 23rd Avenue, this 117-year-old program was started by nursing pioneer Emily Loveridge. Linfield's nursing school was the first in the Pacific Northwest, and remains one of the best.
Tuition: Annual tuition $25,390. Financial aid available.
Notable programs: Nursing students are encouraged to travel abroad during the four-week January term.
National College of Natural Medicine
049 SW Porter St., 552-1555, ncnm.edu.
At the National College of Natural Medicine, the oldest fully accredited college of natural medicine in North America, students can earn a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (ND) or a Master of Science in Oriental Medicine (MSOM) through four years of study. For over 50 years, the college has trained students in the doctrine that the body is designed to heal itself. It sounds like a philosophy to put a school of medicine out of business, but NCNM stays afloat by teaching students how best to support the body's intrinsic healing processes with natural herbs and therapies.
Tuition: $19,698 per year for ND students and $16,005 per year for MSOM students. Financial aid available.
Notable programs: The college is home to the prestigious Helfgott Research Institute, where natural therapies like detoxification diets and magnet treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome are put to the test.
Oregon Health & Science University
3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, 494-8311, ohsu.edu/academic
Tucked away atop Pill Hill in Southwest Portland, OHSU is Oregon's only medical research university, home to more acronyms per capita than anywhere else in the state. Students drive up the narrow, winding U.S. Veterans Hospital Road (or take the shiny, wobbly tram!) to study at OHSU's prestigious schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, and science and engineering. OHSU is a pioneer in clinical studies, meaning that all third-year med students must spend five weeks interning at a clinic in rural Oregon.
Tuition: Programs vary. The MD program is $25,068 per year for Oregon residents and $35,466 per year for non-residents. Financial aid available.
Notable programs: OHSU is known for its programs in pediatrics, family medicine, and ophthalmology.
Oregon School of Massage
9500 SW Barbur Blvd., Suite 100, 244-3420, oregonschoolofmassage.com.
Founded in 1984 and licensed by the Oregon Department of Education, OSM is a professional school for massage and health education. Along with a focus on holistic medicine and attention to developing the "inner healer," OSM students undertake extensive study in the fields of anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, pathology and hydrotherapy. Oh, and kneading—lots and lots of kneading.
Tuition: $8,900 for full program.
Notable programs: Eastern and Western philosophies of massage are different, and therein lies the rub (ha!). But never fear: OSM offers a wide variety of classes on both versions, so students can take the path that fits them best.
Western States Chiropractic College
2900 NE 132nd Ave., 256-3180, wschiro.edu.
Tiny WSCC boasts only 450 students, but they're smart—they consistently earn top scores on the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) exams. The rigorous curriculum of the only chiropractic school in the Pacific Northwest not only readies students for high test scores, but also fiscal success—WSCC grads have a zero percent rate of student-loan default.
Tuition: $19,950 per year. Financial aid available.
Notable programs: The school is almost entirely dedicated to awarding Doctor of Chiropractic degrees, but the administration has recently added a clinically oriented massage therapy program with evening classes.
Econ
Oregon Executive MBA
200 SW Market St., Suite L101, 276-3622, oemba.org.
A partnership of Oregon's three largest public universities (UO, OSU and PSU), OEMBA offers an executive master's degree in business, focused on team-based learning, business theory and strategic decision-making in the global market.
Tuition: $43,000 for the two-year program.
Notable programs: The Oregon Executive MBA allows students to continue full-time work in managerial positions while completing the degree.
Portland State University School of Business Administration
615 SW Harrison St., 725-3712 undergraduate, 725-8001 graduate, sba.pdx.edu.
PSU's School of Business Administration is known for its close ties to the business community—nearly half of the instructors are active professionals in Portland. The school's dated facilities and limited parking, however, leave much to be desired.
Tuition: For full-time students in the MBA+ and the MSFA programs, tuition is approximately $13,500 per year for Oregon residents and $19,000 for non-residents.
Notable programs: The Master of Business Administration (MBA+) program earned the school a spot on Princeton Review's list of "Best Business Schools."
Student Council
Lewis & Clark Law School
10015 SW Terwilliger Blvd., 768-6600, law.lclark.edu.
Portland's only law school is almost hidden in a quiet corner of Tryon Creek State Park, but that hasn't stopped the 92-year-old institution from turning out generations of progressive-minded J.D.s like Portland's own Rep. Earl Blumenauer. Bow ties not included with tuition.
Tuition: $21,738-$28,984 per year. Financial aid available.
Notable programs: LC's environmental law program is among the best in the nation.
Advanced Placement
Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling
0615 SW Palatine Hill Road, 768-7040, graduate.lclark.edu
L&C's beautiful, pastoral campus (formerly Our Lady of Angels convent—true story!) houses a progressive, full-service education and counseling program emphasizing classroom experience over stuffy theory.
Tuition: $510-$610 per semester hour.
Notable programs: The community-counseling program churns out the mental health and juvenile justice workers of tomorrow. We hear it's a nice, cheery career path.
Marylhurst University
17600 Pacific Highway, Marylhurst, 636-8141, marylhurst.edu.
A private, nonprofit higher-learning institution, Marylhurst University has been molding young minds since 1893 and has been on U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges list since 2001. Marylhurst offers a broad curriculum of both undergraduate and post-graduate degrees.
Tuition: $419 per credit hour for graduate degrees.
Notable programs: Marylhurst's Prior Learning Assessment program grants experienced students up to 45 credits toward an undergraduate degree for the lessons they took home from the School of Hard Knocks.
PSU Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science
1930 SW 4th Ave., Suite 500, 725-2820, pdx.edu/cecs.
Mathman! Mathman! This PSU school offers degrees in everything from civil and environmental engineering to technology management. The school just cut the ribbon on the Northwest Center for Engineering, Science and Technology—a fancy new building with a huge façade of glass and aluminum straight out of Dwell magazine.
Tution: Approximately $261 per credit hour. Financial aid available.
Notable programs: The systems-engineering program can now be taken entirely online.
PSU College of Urban and Public Affairs
506 SW Mill St., 725-4043, upa.pdx.edu.
The urban and regional planning program and Portland's early experiments with smart development came into being simultaneously in the early 1970s, and have grown up hand-in-hand ever since. Move back to Muskogee and turn it into the next hot urban paradise.
Tuition: Approximately $261 per credit hour. Financial aid available.
Notable programs: The college is home to the School of Community Health, the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government and the Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning.
University of Oregon, Portland
722 SW 2nd Ave., 725-8598, pdx.uoregon.edu.
This 131-year-old university of over 20,000 students calls green Eugene home, but its Portland branch offers full-fledged degree-granting programs in law, journalism, architecture and business out of its new digs at the foot of the Burnside Bridge.
Tuition: $11,592 per year for Oregon residents; $16,344 for non-residents. Financial aid available.
Notable programs: UO offers an applied Information Management Master of Science degree (a concept we have a hard time wrapping our heads around), and Design Intelligence magazine ranks UO's architecture program 11th in the nation.
Foreign Language Requirement
Alliance Française de Portland
1425 SW 20th Ave., Suite 102, 223-8388, afportland.org.
This language school and "cultural and educational group" is a chapter of the Paris-based Alliance Française, and offers beginning to advanced French instruction as well as monthly social events. With an annual enrollment of 500 to 600 students and small classes of four to five students, this organization is the crème de la crème of French language and lifestyle-immersion schools.
Tuition: $100-$360 per class.
Notable programs: The Alliance offers one- and two-week summer immersion programs in France that include tours, language instruction, meals and accommodation at an 18th century château in the Loire Valley (eight-day program $1,899, 15-day program $2,899). Ooh la la!
Berlitz
321 SW 4th Ave., Suite 100, 274-0830, berlitz.us.
Berlitz is the world's largest language and cultural-consulting institution, teaching children and adults at more than 460 locations in 63 countries. (Including one in Portland! Lucky us! ¡Que suerte! Quelle bonne chance!) Started in 1878 by language tutor Maximilian D. Berlitz, this famous tongue-teaching institution employs the Berlitz method (a conversational approach of listening and speaking) made popular by its founding father.
Tuition: Group classes: $339 for adults, $225 for kids, $80 per hour and a half for private instruction (plus registration fees and materials).
Notable programs: Berlitz's "virtual classroom" allows eager linguists to take classes (on every language imaginable, from Amharic to Urdu) from the comfort of home.
Career Training
Clackamas Community College
19600 S Molalla Ave., Oregon City, 657-6958, clackamas.cc.or.us.
With instruction for five classes—including a GED program—given via a local cable-access channel, CCC helps busy, disabled or just plain paranoid students get educated without ever setting foot inside a classroom. (Live instruction is also available at locations in Oregon City, Milwaukie and Wilsonville for various associates degree programs.)
Tuition: $57 per credit hour, in state; $198 per credit hour, out of state. Financial aid available.
Notable programs: CCC offers the area's only Geographical Information Systems program, training urban planners and foresters alike to quickly map terrain.
Portland Community College
705 N Killingsworth St., 977-8888 (Cascade campus, plus two other Portland locations), pcc.edu.
With three campuses and 35 learning centers across Portland, including a newly renovated location in Northeast Portland, PCC's two-year degree program feeds around 4,500 students into Oregon's university system every year.
Tuition: $68 per credit hour for residents.
Notable programs: PCC boasts the biggest non-credit community education program in the nation, offering 1,800 classes this fall in everything from "adventures with tofu" to motorcycle-rider training ($19 and up per class).
Clark College
1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver, 699-6398, clark.edu
Washington's second-largest commuter school hopes to bolster its reputation south of the Columbia with a remodeled student center and new sports complex, built in time for the community college's 75th anniversary in 2008.
Tuition: $1,219.60 per term. Financial aid available.
Notable programs: Washington's Running Start program allows over-achieving high-school juniors and seniors to earn their high-school and higher degree diploma from Clark simultaneously.
Mt. Hood Community College
26000 SE Stark St., Gresham, 491-6422, mhcc.edu.
With tuition shooting up 107 percent over the past 10 years and full-time faculty decreasing almost 10 percent in the same period, MHCC's 27,000 enrolled students are paying more for less.
Tuition: $72 per credit hour. Financial aid available.
Notable programs: MHCC is the only area two-year college to offer federally subsidized on-site day care for students and faculty.
Pioneer Pacific College
27501 SW Parkway Ave., Wilsonville (main campus, plus three other area locations), 682-3903, pioneerpacificcollege.com.
Earn a paralegal diploma in Clackamas or a massage therapy diploma in Wilsonville at this affordable, for-profit, pre-professional school.
Tuition: $170-$300 per credit. Financial aid available.
Notable programs: Take the law into your own hands with an associate's or bachelor's degree in criminal justice.
WWeek 2015