Oregon’s public universities and community colleges are under the microscope in a statewide study that could reshape how the state funds and organizes higher education, and officials want to hear from residents before they finalize any recommendations. A preliminary report released in October found Oregon ranks 46th nationally in state funding per full-time-equivalent student at public four-year institutions, and identified a troubling gap between the number of college graduates Oregon produces each year and the job openings that will require education beyond high school.
The review, known as the Higher Education Revitalization Study, stems from House Bill 4124, which directed the state’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission to evaluate each public institution’s distinct objectives and look at opportunities for collaboration, restructuring or integration, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting. Oregon lawmakers ordered the review to examine institutional missions, financial challenges and opportunities for schools to work together. Any recommendations that emerge must support access to higher education across the state, including in rural communities and among other underserved populations, and must promote regional and statewide economic development and employment opportunities.
A Survey Open Through December
The commission’s lead consultant, EY-Parthenon, launched a four-question, open-ended public survey in October to gather feedback, according to SOU News. The survey remains open through Dec. 4 and invites students, faculty, staff, employers, legislators and community members to weigh in. Beyond the survey, the commission has also set up an advisory group, regional meetings, a student voices group, faculty and staff focus groups, a legislative roundtable and an academic and fiscal leadership table, per the same account.
HECC Executive Director Ben Cannon said at a commission meeting that the public survey is gathering input from students, faculty, staff, employers, lawmakers and community members, OPB reported. Cannon said he appreciated the public’s engagement with the survey and was overwhelmed by the level of public interest. Commission Chair Greg Hamann said he recently attended a discussion session with students and was impressed by the breadth of student and institutional representation, along with the students’ leadership and knowledge.
What Advisory Groups Have Been Discussing
Recent advisory group meetings have focused on practical questions about how students move through the system, including making it easier for students to transfer between institutions, earning college credit while still in high school, and entering college through direct admission, the station’s report notes. Meetings have also tackled a thornier issue: who would actually implement and pay for strategies meant to give institutions more distinct roles. The commission has not yet settled on recommendations, and its preliminary report, released in September, explicitly stated that the initial progress report does not contain recommendations, according to the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission.
The commission has scheduled a special meeting for Friday, Nov. 13, for an informational briefing on the study and its developing recommendations. A final report is due to the Legislature by April 1, 2027.
The Gap Between Graduates and Jobs
The scale of the challenge is part of why this study carries weight. Oregon employers generate about 78,000 job openings a year that require a higher education, but the state turns out only about 52,000 higher-education graduates annually, according to Lookout Eugene-Springfield. Only 50% of Oregon high school graduates go on to college within a year, compared with a national average of 58%, the outlet reported. Statewide, the Oregon Employment Department projects total employment will grow by 140,600 jobs between 2024 and 2034, though nine out of 10 of those openings are expected to come from replacing retiring or departing workers rather than from new or expanding businesses, according to QualityInfo, the Oregon Employment Department’s data site.
Funding comparisons offered during the study’s public discussions underscore the stakes. Speaking in September, Hamann said Oregon provided about $8,500 in public funding per full-time-equivalent postsecondary student, compared with a national average a little above $12,000. “So we’re about two-thirds to three-quarters of what is funded average, nationally,” Hamann said in comments reported by OPB. A separate FY 2025 summary from the commission put Oregon public university funding at $6,531 per student FTE against a national sector average of $11,151, also ranking the state 46th — though that figure uses a narrower university-only scope than Hamann’s postsecondary-wide estimate.
Tuition and the Brain-Drain Question
For the 2026-27 school year, in-state annual tuition at Oregon public universities ranged from $11,920 at Eastern Oregon University to $17,508 at the University of Oregon, Lookout Eugene-Springfield reported. Those costs arrive alongside another complication for state planners: among graduates from 2016 through 2021, 55% of University of Oregon graduates and 48% of Oregon State University graduates were living outside Oregon as of August, according to the Daily Tidings. That pattern raises questions about how much of Oregon’s public investment in higher education ultimately benefits the state’s own workforce, even as officials work toward a report meant to chart a more sustainable path for the system over the next decade.
