Oregon State University (OSU) is a public research and degree-granting four-year university in the Oregon University System, located in Corvallis, Oregon. Total student enrollment (undergraduate and graduate) in 2002 was 18,979, 79% of which were Oregon residents and 6% from other countries. With over 200 academic degree programs, engineering, environmental sciences, forestry, and pharmacy remain some of the most notable fields of study. OSU has more majors, minors, and special programs than any other college in Oregon and offers a University Exploratory Studies Program for students who wish to investigate their options for a major field. The university also receives more research grant funds annually than the rest of the Oregon University System schools combined.

The 577 acre (2.34 km²) campus, located in the middle of the fertile Willamette Valley, is in close proximity to a good deal of farmland, an excellent foundation for its noted agricultural programs. Corvallis has over 50,000 permanent residents, is noted for its extensive public library, and is home to the second largest Hewlett-Packard manufacturing site in the world. OSU was recently rated the "Safest campus in the Pac-10" in a study by the University of Southern California.

The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education classifies Oregon State as Doctoral/Research-Extensive, one of only four such universities in the Pacific Northwest. Research is done by the university at many locations throughout the state, including its Seafood Laboratory in Astoria, Food Innovation Laboratory in Portland, and at the Mark O. Hatfield Marine Science Center on Yaquina Bay in Newport. OSU manages approximately 14,000 acres (57 km²) of forest, including the McDonald-Dunn research forest. OSU has a branch campus (OSU-Cascades Campus) in Bend, Oregon.