Portland-State-University 2023-2024 Bulletin

Differential Tuition

Graduate students and upper-division majors in the College of the Arts pay differential tuition—that is, slightly higher rates for more expensive programs—as also shown in the tuition charts online and elsewhere in this Bulletin: 

Undergraduate residents $11.40 per credit hour 

Undergraduate non-residents $46.00 per credit hour 

Graduate residents $47.00 per credit hour 

Graduate non-residents $51.00 per credit hour 

Graduate students will be charged differential rates upon matriculation. 

Lower-division undergraduates (freshmen and sophomores) will not be charged differential rates until they have completed 90 credit hours or passed review to upper-division status. Undergraduate transfer students with 90 or more credit hours will be charged differential rates immediately upon matriculation. 

Double majors will be charged COTA differential tuition unless the second major is in another College or program also charging differential tuition (Business, Engineering), in which case students will be charged one or the other of their programs' differential rates. 

Honors students will be charged both COTA differential tuition and Honors differential tuition. 

Upper-division undergraduates changing majors to a COTA program from another School or College will be charged differential tuition. 

Upper-division undergraduates changing majors from a COTA program to another College or School must ask their COTA School administrative staff to remove College Code 26 from their record so that COTA’s differential tuition will no longer be charged. 

For those who fail to alert their COTA School immediately that they are leaving their major, refunds of differential tuition will only be issued for one term prior to the term in which students do notify the COTA School. 

Students changing majors from a COTA School will no longer have access to certain restricted courses.