[background music] Welcome to the hoppin downtown campus of Portland State University. I'm Ferrari St. Paul for Youniversity TV and I will be your fearless leader as we make our way like Vikings [laughter] through the bustling streets of Broadway, Jackson and Montgomery and all the rest. Portland State University is in the middle of everything in green and quirky, bicycle friendly, Portland, Oregon.

We're located right in downtown Portland just in the Southwest quadrant. We're about an hour from the mountains, about an hour and a half from the coast so we have access to everything.

I love the waterfront. I love going down there for Saturday market. You know going on runs there, walking with friends, shopping downtown is really fun, Pioneers Place, there's just a lot of different things to do.

Portland State is located on more than 50 acres of tree lined park blocks in one of America's most livable cities.

We have an outdoor amphitheater where if it's nice out we get a local band or somebody from our Jazz or somebody from our orchestra program to come out and play an instrument. It allows you to just kind of hang out in the parking lots and listen to music.

Portland State has more than 27,000 students and a campus diversity that is unique in Oregon. PSU students come from all 50 U.S. states and close to 100 different countries from around the globe. Thirty two percent come from culturally or ethnically diverse backgrounds including 6% who are international. Nearly 15,000 apply to Portland State every fall. Approximately 75% of the undergraduates will be accepted. In order to gain admission to PSU, students should have a minimum 3.0 high school GPA and minimum average 500 SAT sub score or a 21 composite ACT score.

Because of where we're located in our relationship with the city, we have the notion and attitude that we want students to come to Portland State and we want them to get here. So if you don't have that 3.0 there are still some opportunities if there are test scores in that range.

In state tuition and fees will cost students around [background noise] $5,000. Out of stater's will pay closer to $17,000 with additional room and board costs close to $9,000. PSU is a comprehensive research university offering more than 120 bachelors, masters and doctoral degree programs, psychology, science, business, engineering, fine and performing arts are just a few of the freshman favorites.

We have this big vibrant citizen participation initiative process here in Oregon. One of the things the students get to do is we try to engage them with what that really looks like. We talk about the initiative process, what that takes, how to draft it, how to defend it. You jump in a van, drive down to Salem, take over one of the hearing rooms and the students actually defend their initiatives in front of a panel of a legislator and the chief legislative counsel here.

To accommodate urban lifestyles the university offers a significant number of classes during evenings and even weekends. No car, no problem. Street cars run right through the PSU campus. There's even a discount for students. [noise] The PSU core curriculum is nationally ranked and culminates with a senior Capstone project that adds substance to a graduating seniors resume. In Portland, serious students are quick to find internships that this urban location offers.

We have all these businesses located right here and they do want to work with us so our students end up with paid internships at various points throughout their education.

Here's something you won't find in any city but Portland. It's called a Benson Bubbler. All over campus and all over downtown they're named after Simon Benson, a millionaire who donated highway for a city highway and a park. Portland State University has over 2,000 faculty members. Eighty two percent hold a PHD or a terminal degree.

Super flexible with your schedule if you ever need to talk to them. They give you their email, their phone number, you know call them. You know it's all about the process and so they're there with you every step of the way. Classes are at max 20 something students and at least in your senior year you're maybe having a class with 10, 15 students so you have a really good relationship [noise] with your teacher in that way.

The Portland State Vikings compete at the NCAA Division I level, primarily in the Big Sky Conference. The men's basketball and women's golf teams are the Big Sky Conference Champions. Choose from Portland's 10 on campus resident's halls ranging from furnished, unfurnished, singles, doubles, triples, studios and sleeper apartments. Near campus apartments and condo's are popular too.

One thing about living on campus at Portland State is they don't have any traditional dorms so you're going to have either your own studio apartment or kind of a half apartment where you're sharing a room with somebody but you also have a kitchenette or a full kitchen and your own bathroom.

With over 280 registered student groups, fraternities, sororities and so many intramural and club sports available at Portland State, you're sure to find something you'd love to be a part of. The new campus recreation center offers even more workout options, some with cityscape view.

Last year I was on the rowing team and then this year I played Rugby. I was president of the Rex Club Council so all the different like alternative stuff that we do. There's like 30 different clubs, anywhere from like snowboarding to medieval combat. I'm also on the Greek councils. I work with the outdoor program so all the different like outdoor trips that we take like to the mountain or to the beach or hiking, snowboarding, rafting, all that kind of stuff.

A Portland State alum put the swoosh in Nike. Grad Carolyn Davison designed the internationally recognized sports logo.

I love that we're in a big city. I love that the beach is here, the mountains are here but at the same time the opportunities at school are out of control so it's awesome.

So if you want to experience University life in an inspiring and urban community of all ages and cultures, Portland State University stands out. Well that's our tour of PSU. I hope you enjoyed our time here in downtown Portland, Oregon. I'm Ferrari St. Paul and I'll catch you later.

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