Emily is also right that departure cities play a role in how much your overall airfare is going to cost. It's typical for fares to Europe to cost less from the East Coast than the West Coast. But don't despair. You can still find deals that will get you there without emptying your college savings fund.
For instance, I priced flights from Portland to Paris departing in June and returning in July for $900 (including taxes and fees) per person with Delta. You can do the same by using a flexible search tool, such as the ones offered by Expedia and Travelocity. The benefit of a flex search is that it does all the hard work of finding the cheapest days to fly for you.
