Rankings of the Best Colleges and Universities in Oklahoma
By Iris Stone
In this ranking, we examine top value universities and colleges in Oklahoma. For our ranking of online convenient options, see Best Value Online Colleges and Universities in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma may be "where the winds come sweeping down the plains," but it's also a state where students come sweeping down hills, across rivers, over valleys, and even over seas to access the many top value colleges and universities within its borders. Higher education in Oklahoma echoes the composition of many other Midwestern locales in that it consists primarily of state-supported public schools and small religious colleges. But if you pay close attention to the details, you'll soon realize that many of these universities also boast some pretty unique features. For example, both the University of Oklahoma and Northeastern State University offer resources specifically for American Indian students, East Central University has one of the only Cartography programs in the nation, and Oklahoma Christian University provides all students with a personal laptop!
The key takeaway here is that to find a top college in Oklahoma, you simply need to know where to look. Thankfully, we've done a lot of the looking for you and have organized a top 15 ranking specifically for your convenience. Using indicators related to student success/retention on campus, selectivity, affordability, and post-grad performance, we've produced a best value list that we hope is equally valuable in your college search.
Methodology: Value Ranking Best Oklahoma Colleges and Universities
Graduation Rate: This indicator refers to the percentage of students who complete their degree within 150% of normal time (six years for a typical four-year degree program). Schools that perform well in this area have a track record of keeping students engaged and successful for their entire time on campus. We weighted this category 30% of the total and retrieved the information from College Navigator.
Net Price: In order to make sure that cost was still a factor in the ranking, we also considered overall net price as an indicator. Taken from data on College Navigator, "net price" is an approximate value that refers to the average amount of money a student could expect to pay each year after taking into account tuition, room and board, living expenses, scholarship awards, and financial aid packages. We weighted this category 25% of the total.
Acceptance Rate: Academically challenging, popular universities tend to be more selective and thus have a lower acceptance rate. In order to pinpoint those colleges that boast rigorous academics and also receive a large number of applications, we considered acceptance rate – the percentage of students out of the total number of applicants who receive an acceptance letter. We retrieved this information from College Navigator and weighted it 30% of the total.
20-Year Net Return on Investment: Taken from information on the website PayScale, this statistic provides a picture of how much students can expect to make after they graduate from a particular college. More specifically, the figure is calculated by taking the average income an alumnus will make over his or her first 20 years after graduation and subtracting the amount paid in tuition. Schools with a high ROI tend to be better at preparing their students for the job market. We weighted this category only 15% because data was not available for all colleges considered.
After adding all the points, we gave each university a final score out of 200. The schools below have scores ranging from 82 to 144, and each has something different to offer in terms of its cost, quality, and reputation. No one college is perfect (which is why the scores vary so much) but this ranking offers you a premier selection of universities to help get you started on your search for an education in Oklahoma.
Featured Online Programs
Figuring out where to apply? These top, accredited schools offer a variety of online degrees. Consider one of these accredited programs, and discover their value today.
Sources:
College Navigator
Pay Scale
This concludes our ranking of best value Oklahoma colleges and universities.
About the Author:
Iris Stone began her writing career as a freelance writer and researcher. She now owns and operates a writing and editing firm that works with clients all across the country. Her work has included articles related to education policy, colleges and universities, academic programs, and careers.
