University of Portland

Statistics

Scholarships & Financial Aid

Students Say - Academics
""The University of Portland's mission is teaching, faith, and service," and students agree that the school does an excellent job of meeting it. A small "Catholic institution," UP is affiliated "with the Congregation of the Holy Cross," from which it derives its "highly service orientated" academic ethos. "Just like any other school, you have varying quality of professors" but overall, UP "professors are highly knowledgeable, friendly, accommodating, and easily accessible." Most of them "love what they do, and most of them go out of their way to help students." In addition to outstanding professors, students applaud UP for its "great study abroad programs and service [projects called] plunges." Between the "amazing professors," the "beautiful campus in a beautiful city," the "nurturing, caring atmosphere," and the fact that "class size is normally pretty small," students feel like they receive a "strong and well rounded education" in a "tight-knit" "community." Many students feel, however, that "the administration is too conservative for the student body. Things have to change, but to them, students don't have a voice." For more liberal-minded students, the intervisitation policies and conservative stance on birth control are sources of frustration."

Students Say - Campus Life
"It's almost impossible to separate college life at UP from the virtues of its hometown. Everyone here agrees that "Portland is one of the best cities in the United States." Luckily, "The school does a really excellent job of getting students downtown, with a free shuttle to the light rail and three bus stops on campus, [so] that most students go off campus at least once a week." What do they do once outside the campus gates? Well, a little bit of everything: "some hit nightclubs, some go to the Pearl District and shop, some enjoy dining and bar-hopping." "There are lots of under-21 concert venues, really great restaurants, and shopping that you can go out to dinner every weekend without going to the same place twice. The neighborhood that UP is in (St. Johns) is also really handy because it's really chill; there are a lot of young couples and hippies, a couple of grocery stores and restaurants, and lots of great coffee shops to study in." Students also "get involved in service projects, but they are usually through immersion programs called ‘plunges.'" Examples of "plunges" include "trips to San Francisco…to work directly with groups like Green Action, Breast Cancer Action and People's Grocery…We also take trips to Alaska for a Native American plunge. We take trips to Mexico, New Orleans, rural Washington State...etc." "On campus, there are always plenty of events that keep students busyâ€"movies are shown weekly" and "speakers are almost always [presenting] somewhere." Varsity, intramural, and club sports are also very popular on campus" for you as "a participant [or] fan/supporter." The women's soccer program, which "almost took National for the third time in four years," is the pride of the school. Philosophically, "sustainability is a major issue" for many students."

Students Say - Student Body
"The "somewhat typical student" has "some religious background" and is "energetic to learn, but also has an idea of how to work the system to benefit themselves, and enjoys working for what they want to achieve." This person is more than likely "Caucasian," "middle-class," "cares about the environment and social justice and is interested in world politics" and "how the green revolution will change the world, particularly the business world." This student stays informed by reading "The New York Times, Financial Times or Wall Street Journal." About half of the student body hails from Oregon or Washington. Students agree the school should work on "diversity. We are not a very ethnically diverse campus." "Everyone seems to get along really well. No matter what your background is, people will accept you, and you will have awesome friends.""

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