PORTLAND IS AWASH with institutions of higher learning—though you wouldn't know it if you asked the average person on the street. While the PSUs, the Reeds, and the OHSUs of our city grab all the scholarly glory, there are many smaller colleges in the community working just as hard to educate the so-called leaders of tomorrow. Why do students choose these tinier versions over the big-name schools? What do they offer that the other bigger colleges can't or won't? In this edition of our annual Back-to-School Issue, the Mercury digs deep into the back alley of Portland's college system to profile some of the lesser-known institutions—and who knows? Maybe you'll even find one perfect for you. After all, it's not the size of the college... it's the education you get out of it.

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More Back-To-School Issue Articles

Birthingway College of Midwifery

Concordia University

ITT Technical Institute Portland

Lewis and Clark

Multnomah University

Oregon College of Art and Craft

Oregon College of Oriental Medicine

National College of Natural Medicine

Pacific Northwest College of Art

University of Phoenix