CORVALLIS, Ore. – More than 37,400 students are enrolled at Oregon State University this fall, with one of the largest classes of new students in OSU’s history, according to early figures released today.
OSU remains Oregon’s largest university for the 13th straight year. Fall 2026 enrollment includes representation from all 36 of Oregon’s counties, 50 states and more than 100 countries.
Including non-degree and readmitted students, around 10,000 new students enrolled this fall, just exceeding the university’s largest-ever class in fall 2024. The total new undergraduate population – including students in Corvallis, at OSU-Cascades in Bend and via Ecampus – is tracking 7% higher than last fall.
“We’re proud to welcome all new students to OSU, where they will find a university dedicated to their success and ambitions,” said Jayathi Murthy, Oregon State University president. “From semiconductors to sustainable agriculture, Oregon State prepares students for today’s economy and fuels our state’s workforce.”
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Total enrollment across all of OSU is slightly lower than last year’s record number, at 37,460 total students for fall 2026. About 25,000 of those students are on campus in Corvallis, a little under 11,000 are fully remote through Ecampus programs, and about 1,250 are at OSU-Cascades in Bend.
OSU’s largest student population – undergraduates attending classes on campus in Corvallis – comes in 1.3% higher than last fall.
While the overall population of college-age Oregonians is trending down over time and national headwinds exist in the graduate student enrollment landscape, OSU’s enrollment has remained near steady due to successful efforts to recruit undergraduate students from other states, said Prem Mathew, interim vice provost for enrollment management.
Students come from nearby states including California and Washington but also states with growing populations like Texas and Idaho, resulting in a 4.5% increase in nonresident undergraduates at the Corvallis campus. In total, across all campuses, 47% of OSU undergraduate students and 64% of graduate students are nonresidents.
This growth does not reflect any shift away from serving Oregon students, who are being admitted at comparable rates to past years; rather, it echoes broader demographic trends across the U.S., Mathew said.
“We’re seeing increasing interest from students in states with growing high school graduate populations, and our enrollment marketing efforts are leveraging that opportunity,” he said.
Echoing national trends, Oregon State has seen some decline in international enrollment, largely concentrated in graduate enrollment, where OSU has seen a decline of 21% reflecting challenges facing international recruitment including visa procedure delays and denials. Despite these challenges, international undergraduate enrollment has increased by 6% since last fall.
OSU’s College of Engineering remains the university’s largest, with several majors seeing increases, including civil engineering (up 36%), electrical/computer engineering (up 28%), mechanical engineering (up 19%) and environmental engineering (up 19%). Other programs with significant growth over last fall include animal sciences, interior design, organizational leadership, French, philosophy and creative writing.
Notable enrollment figures for fall 2026
- Top five states new Corvallis students come from beyond Oregon: Washington, California, Hawaii, Colorado, Texas (in order of number of matriculants).
- Headcount in professional programs, including the pharmacy, veterinary medicine and physical therapy programs, is up by 6% this fall.
- About 23% of OSU undergraduates are first-generation college students.
- About a quarter of resident students received the Oregon Opportunity Grant this fall.
- Transfer student enrollment is up by 2% across all campuses, including a 5% increase in Corvallis and a 1% increase in Ecampus.
