From first-generation college students to working professionals pursuing new credentials, Linfield University serves students at different stages of their educational journeys. The university enrolled 1,705 students this fall, including community college transfers, students pursuing career-focused programs and students from communities across Oregon. This represents a decrease of 28 students (or 1.6%) from 1,733 students in fall 2025.First-generation students make up 41.3% of Linfield’s undergraduate population, while transfer students account for 15.1% of enrollment.
Transfer student Aspyn Erickson chose Linfield for its international business major, describing it as a “rare find” because other colleges she considered did not offer the program.
When she transferred to Linfield from Portland Community College, Erickson received a scholarship through PCC’s Future Connect program, which connects eligible students with transfer support and scholarship opportunities at partner institutions, including Linfield. The award helped make her transition to a four-year university more affordable.
Who Linfield serves
While Linfield enrolls students from 24 states and 15 countries, 69.8% come from across Oregon. At the McMinnville campus, 64.6% of students are from Oregon. Oregon residents make up 83.3% of students at the Portland campus, home to the School of Nursing, and 91.6% of students in Linfield’s online programs.
Linfield’s undergraduate population includes students from a range of backgrounds. Nearly one-third of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, 41.8% are U.S. students of color and 28.4% are from historically underserved communities. The average undergraduate student is nearly 22 years old.
Programs that open doors to new careers
Students pursue a range of academic programs at Linfield, with nursing, exercise science, psychology, finance and secondary education among the most-enrolled fields this year.
Graduate enrollment grew 29% from fall 2025 to fall 2026, increasing from 65 to 84 students. The Master’s Entry into Professional Nursing (MEPN) program accounted for much of the increase, growing 54%, from 28 to 43 students. The program provides a pathway into nursing for students who already hold a bachelor’s degree in another field.
Linfield’s School of Nursing is ranked No. 3 in Oregon for Best Colleges for Nursing by Niche. The school offers several prelicensure programs, including traditional and accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs and the MEPN program.
Meanwhile, Linfield’s online secondary education certificate offers school employees a pathway to the classroom, helping them build on their experience and prepare for careers as teachers.
Affordability and outcomes add value
For students considering their educational investment, affordability is another important part of the Linfield experience. In the U.S. News & World Report 2027 Best Colleges rankings, Linfield ranked No. 3 among the Best Value Regional Colleges in the West.
The university also ranked No. 4 among Top Private Colleges and No. 5 overall among Regional Colleges in the West.
Linfield’s net price for an average student receiving need-based aid is $33,133, a discount of 54%. That net price falls within the median range among the top 11 Regional Colleges in the West, while Linfield’s discount is 14 percentage points higher than the median for those institutions.
More than 90% of Linfield students receive financial aid and scholarships, helping make a private university education more accessible to students from a range of financial backgrounds.
For senior Jayden Taylor ’27, scholarship support has helped make the college experience possible.
“I was drawn to Linfield because it is a small liberal arts university,” the mathematics and physics major from Monmouth said. “I get to build personal relationships with my professors. I also love that Linfield helped me spend a semester studying in New Zealand.”
” I am extremely grateful for this scholarship,” he added. “It has helped fund my education and allowed me to pursue graduate school.”
According to U.S. News & World Report rankings data, Linfield graduates earn 92% more than the average high school graduate. The university also ranked No. 3 among Best Value Regional Colleges in the West in the 2027 rankings. TIME named Linfield Oregon’s highest-ranked college in its inaugural America’s Best Colleges of 2026-2027, placing the university No. 136 nationally. These rankings and earnings data offer measures of the university’s value and its graduates’ outcomes.
