Public · University

Northeastern State University

Tahlequah, Oklahoma · Remote town

99.6%
Admit rate
$12,710
Avg net price
35%
Graduation rate
$45,379
Median earnings

Northeastern State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Tahlequah, Oklahoma (remote town setting), enrolling 4,772 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 4,772 undergradsRemote townOpen admissionNCAA Division II with football · Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Northeastern State University's admitted students.

Admit rate
99.6%
SAT (mid 50%)
866–1136
Avg GPA (est.)
3.00

Enter a test score to see where you land against Northeastern State University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Northeastern State University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Tahlequah, Oklahoma

Tahlequah is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. Tahlonteeskee was the first established governmental capital of any kind in what was to become Oklahoma. It was established in 1828—in land that was part of 1816's Lovely Donations, becoming the first Cherokee Nation–West capital city. The building that once housed the Supreme Court of the Cherokee Nation has been converted into a museum, the Cherokee National Supreme Court Museum and is open to the public. It reportedly is the oldest public building in Oklahoma. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
415 miles
Nearest airport
45 miles to Northwest Arkansas National (XNA)

How Northeastern State University compares

Selectivity99.6%

More selective than 5% · #17 most selective of 17 in Oklahoma

SAT average1049

Higher than 15%

Graduation rate35%

Higher than 17% · #13 of 22 in Oklahoma

First-year retention61%

Higher than 14%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$45,379

Higher than 25% · #14 of 23 in Oklahoma

Average net price$12,710

Cheaper than 82% · #7 cheapest of 22 in Oklahoma

Median debt at graduation$17,367

Lower than 86%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment4,772

Larger than 77%

Percentiles compare Northeastern State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Oklahoma.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

6,412students
  • Undergraduate4,77274%
  • Graduate1,64026%

Undergraduates by gender

4,772undergrads
  • Women2,95162%
  • Men1,82138%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White40%
  • Black4.9%
  • Hispanic8.8%
  • Asian2.6%
  • Other or multiracial43%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
4,772
Graduate enrollment
1,640
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
45%
First-generation students
42%
Students over 25
31%
Median family income
$30,816
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$72,756
Endowment
$44,726,355

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 666 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Oklahoma93%
  • Other U.S. states5.0%
  • International2.0%

Most first-years stay in state — Northeastern State University draws overwhelmingly from Oklahoma.

2% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
99.6%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
866–1136
SAT average
1049
SAT reading
438–593
SAT math
428–543
ACT composite
18–23
Average GPA (estimated)
3.00

Cost

In-state tuition
$7,810
Out-of-state tuition
$17,290
Room & board
$11,120
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$21,551
Average net price
$12,710

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
35%
Graduated on time (4 years)
21%
First-year retention
61%
Transferred to another college
19%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$41,207
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$45,379
Median debt at graduation
$17,367
Students with federal loans
36%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
50%

About 14% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
21%
Low-income (Pell)
42%
First-generation
42%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,194
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
25%
Housing charge (year)
$5,200
Meal plan (year)
$5,294
Application fee
$25
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Varsity athletes
314 (231 men · 83 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (7)

Football129
Soccer60
Baseball43
Basketball31
Softball24
Golf19
Tennis8

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.5 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
2
Property offenses (2022–2024)
8

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (6,751 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

3.3reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year2.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
1.7
Burglary
1.0
Rape
0.3
Aggravated assault
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$10,598
$30–48k
$9,827
$48–75k
$12,612
$75–110k
$18,188
$110k+
$19,511

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$58,179

$12,612/year × about 4.6 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

55%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,148
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 55% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,148. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 686 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$45,379
Typical debt at graduation
$17,367
Debt vs. one year's pay
38%
Out-earn a HS grad
59%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$43,572
Men
$50,342

Men out-earn women by $6,770 (16%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
93°F
Winter low
28°F
Annual rain
51″
Annual snow
4.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.16.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Tahlequah, OK US station (1.2 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Northeastern State University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Northeastern State University side by side →

Colleges near Northeastern State University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.