The city of Portland is known around the world as a magnet for hipsters, a gateway to the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest and a haven for anyone who enjoys a tasty meal or a particularly creative doughnut.
It’s also home to the unique urban campus of Portland State University which has been recognized by the popular college ranking site Niche.com as having the best possible location for a college in America.
Niche.com, a Pittsburgh-based company, uses a combination of publicly available data and scorecards along with first-person reviews to generate rankings of U.S. colleges and universities based on attributes such as best value, best professors and best student life in addition to location.
According to the website, the location ranking was developed using input from student surveys, which were weighted at 30 percent of the overall score, followed by factors including access to bars, coffee shops, and restaurants, cost of living, local weather, percent of residents who are 18-24 years old, and Niche-generated grades on local crime and access to outdoor activities.
Student reviews emphasized PSU’s urban campus and the opportunities it provides, along with easy access to nature.
“Portland State University is placed within a continuously changing city, with diversity growth occurring exponentially,” wrote one student reviewer, identified as a senior. “This university is unique not only in its location, but the way students are encouraged to explore and obtain a different perspective of the world around them.”
“I enjoy the outdoor city life, the food is amazing all around,” wrote another reviewer, identified as a first year student. “My favorite part of this school is how diverse and welcoming it is.”
Portland State is also ranked by Niche.com as the No. 12 most liberal college in America.