Oregon State University

School Info:

Founded in 1868, Oregon State is the state’s Land Grant university and is one of only two universities in the U.S. to have Sea Grant, Space Grant and Sun Grant designations. Oregon State is also the only university in Oregon to have earned the Carnegie Foundation’s top designation, awarded to institutions with “very high research activity.”

As Oregon’s largest public research university, with a record $275 million in external research funding in 2009-10, Oregon State’s impact reaches across the state and beyond. With 12 colleges, 15 Agricultural Experiment Stations, 35 county Extension offices, the Hatfield Marine Sciences Center in Newport and OSU-Cascades in Bend, Oregon State has a presence in every one of Oregon’s 36 counties, with a statewide economic footprint of $1.5 billion.

Oregon State welcomes a diverse student body of nearly 24,000 students from across Oregon, all 50 states and more than 100 countries. They can choose from more than 200 undergraduate and more than 80 graduate degree programs, including over 20 degrees offered online.

How Oregon State Ranks:

Oregon State increasingly attracts high-achieving students, with nationally recognized programs in areas such as conservation biology, agricultural sciences, nuclear engineering, forestry, fisheries and wildlife management, community health, pharmacy and zoology.

Oregon State also ranks high in sustainability, fourth among universities nationwide for using renewable energy and first in the Pac-10 Conference. And our students literally help power the university: 22 exercise machines at Dixon Recreation Center are connected to the grid.

Oregon State is located in Corvallis, a vibrant college town of 53,000 in the heart of Western Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Corvallis consistently ranks among the best and safest cities to live in the U.S., as well as among the most environmentally responsible.

The History of the Oregon State Beavers:

Benny Beaver, the school’s official mascot, was adopted in 1952. Benny Beaver was introduced to the student body Sept. 18, 1952, in an effort to pick up sagging school spirit. Benny is the current winner of the 2011 Capital One Mascot of the Year write-in campaign.

Prior to Benny Beaver, there were at least three other mascots. The first was a coyote named Jimmie. In 1909 a second mascot appeared on the scene in the form of Dr. John Bell, a pastor in Corvallis. “Doc Bell” was considered the varsity football squad’s mascot because of his steadfast attendance and advising. In 1921 there was an attempt to make a live Beaver, “Bevo” the school mascot, but with little success.