,·Public Research (branch campus of Oregon State University)·Est. 2001
“An Oregon State degree on a small, sustainability-focused campus in the heart of Central Oregon's outdoor playground.”
Oregon State University-Cascades is the Bend, Oregon branch campus of Oregon State University, offering a small, residential, four-year undergraduate experience that few public research universities can match. Although degrees are conferred by Oregon State University and carry the same name, accreditation, and alumni network as those earned at OSU-Corvallis, OSU-Cascades runs its own admissions office, advising team, residence life program, and bachelor's degree pathways on a distinct 128-acre campus master-planned for 3,000-5,000 students. Fall 2025 enrollment was around 1,401 students, with average class sizes near 20, giving students an unusually direct line to their professors for a Carnegie R1-affiliated degree. The campus identity is shaped by its setting. Bend sits at the foot of the Cascade Range, twenty minutes from Mt. Bachelor, the Deschutes River, and Smith Rock, and that geography is woven directly into the academic catalog. OSU-Cascades is best known nationally for its Tourism, Recreation and Adventure Leadership (TRAL) program with Adventure Leadership Education and Nature/Eco/Adventure Tourism tracks, its Energy Systems Engineering major, and a growing Computer Science program with cybersecurity, AI, and software engineering tracks. Other distinctive bachelor's degrees include Outdoor Products, Hospitality Management, and Sustainability, alongside more conventional majors in business, biology, psychology, kinesiology, and engineering. International students should know that admissions criteria, English-proficiency standards, and most academic policies mirror OSU-Corvallis. What makes the campus unusual is its sustainability commitment: OSU-Cascades is being built as one of the first net-zero university campuses in the United States, using a 500-foot geothermal aquifer for heating and cooling and adding rooftop solar to cover most remaining demand. First-year students are required to live on campus, which keeps a tight residential community despite small numbers, and outdoor clubs, intramurals, and Cascades Adventures trips into the high desert and Cascades dominate student life. Career outcomes are strong for the size: 95% of recent graduates secured a job or graduate-school placement within six months of finishing, often staying in Central Oregon's outdoor-recreation, hospitality, tech, and energy industries.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourceEarly Action (non-binding)
Earliest decision; non-binding. Common to OSU-Corvallis and OSU-Cascades.
Priority Application
Recommended deadline for full scholarship and housing consideration; supporting documents due Feb 15.
Regular / Rolling
OSU-Cascades reviews applications on a rolling basis after the priority deadline as space allows.
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Domestic
$13,566 – $14,613
/yr
Out-of-State / Intl
$37,356 – $39,934
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
Houses the bachelor's programs in Computer Science, Energy Systems Engineering, Engineering Science, and Mechanical Engineering. The Computer Science major offers tracks in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, human-computer interaction, software engineering, and software entrepreneurship; standalone certificates in Cybersecurity and Geographic Information Science are also available.
OSU-Cascades' signature outdoor-leadership program, recognized as a national leader in adventure and tourism education. Two tracks: Adventure Leadership Education (training future guides, outdoor educators, and program directors) and Nature, Eco and Adventure Tourism (sustainable tourism management). Heavy use of the Cascades, Deschutes River, and Central Oregon high desert as living classrooms.
Includes Kinesiology, Human Development and Family Sciences, Psychology, Public Health, and the Doctor of Physical Therapy graduate program (one of only a handful of DPTs in Oregon).
Hosts American Studies, Art, Arts/Media and Technology, Biology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Environmental Sciences, Liberal Studies, Political Science, Social Science, and Sustainability bachelor's programs.
Bachelor's degrees in Business Administration, Accountancy, and Hospitality Management, plus an Innovation and Entrepreneurship minor connecting students to Bend's startup scene.
4 years
OSU-Cascades' marquee program and one of the most established adventure-leadership/eco-tourism degrees in the U.S. Two options - Adventure Leadership Education and Nature, Eco and Adventure Tourism - combine business, sustainability, and applied outdoor skills, with field experiences in the Cascades, Deschutes River, and Smith Rock as part of the curriculum.
4 years
An ABET-accreditation-track engineering major focused on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable power systems. Students learn on a campus that is itself being built as a net-zero living laboratory, complete with a 500-foot geothermal aquifer loop and rooftop solar.
4 years
Same Oregon State CS degree offered in Corvallis, but delivered in classes averaging ~20 students. Students can specialize in cybersecurity (with a stackable certificate), artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, software engineering, or software entrepreneurship. Cybersecurity is recognized as a STEM-OPT eligible field, important for international students planning post-graduation work in the U.S.
4 years
One of the only undergraduate degrees of its kind in the United States. Built around Bend's outdoor-industry cluster (Hydro Flask, Ruffwear, Picky Bars, Deschutes Brewery), the degree blends product development, materials, supply chain, sustainability, and outdoor industry business.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $37,356
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
