Public · University

Northwestern Oklahoma State University

Alva, Oklahoma · Remote town

#5 most selective in Oklahoma#5 best value in Oklahoma
65.5%
Admit rate
$10,104
Avg net price
30%
Graduation rate
$44,358
Median earnings

Northwestern Oklahoma State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Alva, Oklahoma (remote town setting), enrolling 1,498 undergraduates.

PublicSmall · 1,498 undergradsRemote townAccessible · 65% admitNCAA Division II with football · Great American ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
65.5%
SAT (mid 50%)
803–1036
Avg GPA (est.)
2.94

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

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

About Alva, Oklahoma

Alva is a city in and the county seat of Woods County, Oklahoma, United States, along the Salt Fork Arkansas River. Alva was established in 1893 as a United States General Land Office for the Cherokee Outlet land run, the largest of the land rushes that settled western and central Oklahoma. In the television series Mad Men, lead character Don Draper spends most of the penultimate episode, "The Milk and Honey Route", in Alva. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
96 miles to Wichita, KS
To the ocean
530 miles
Nearest airport
90 miles to Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National (ICT)

How Northwestern Oklahoma State University compares

Selectivity65.5%

More selective than 70% · #5 most selective of 17 in Oklahoma

SAT average1003

Higher than 9%

Graduation rate30%

Higher than 12% · #18 of 22 in Oklahoma

First-year retention65%

Higher than 20%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$44,358

Higher than 22% · #18 of 23 in Oklahoma

Average net price$10,104

Cheaper than 90% · #5 cheapest of 22 in Oklahoma

Median debt at graduation$17,355

Lower than 86%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment1,498

Larger than 49%

Percentiles compare Northwestern Oklahoma 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

1,790students
  • Undergraduate1,49884%
  • Graduate29216%

Undergraduates by gender

1,498undergrads
  • Women90861%
  • Men59039%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White60%
  • Black7.6%
  • Hispanic15%
  • Asian0.5%
  • Other or multiracial17%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,498
Graduate enrollment
292
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
41%
First-generation students
43%
Students over 25
15%
Median family income
$39,030
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$64,638
Endowment
$38,260,410

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 340 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Oklahoma73%
  • Other U.S. states24%
  • International3.2%

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

3% 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
65.5%
Test scores
Required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
803–1036
SAT average
1003
SAT reading
420–518
SAT math
383–518
ACT composite
16–21
Average GPA (estimated)
2.94

Cost

In-state tuition
$5,970
Out-of-state tuition
$11,664
Room & board
$5,720
Books & supplies
$1,800
Total cost of attendance
$18,672
Average net price
$10,104

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)
30%
Graduated on time (4 years)
22%
First-year retention
65%
Transferred to another college
18%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$39,997
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$44,358
Median debt at graduation
$17,355
Students with federal loans
37%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
55%

About 8% 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
22%
Low-income (Pell)
38%
First-generation
35%

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
886
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
59%
Housing charge (year)
$2,020
Meal plan (year)
$3,680
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Great American Conference
Varsity athletes
784 (478 men · 306 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 (11)

Football150
Track and Field (Outdoor)145
Track and Field (Indoor)144
Rodeo79
Baseball65
Cross Country53
Basketball38
Soccer35
Golf30
Softball23
Volleyball22

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (2,079 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.

0.3reported offenses a year
0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
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
$6,439
$30–48k
$7,828
$48–75k
$10,539
$75–110k
$12,638
$110k+
$16,065

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
$46,250

$10,539/year × about 4.4 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.

88%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$5,683
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 88% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,683. 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 333 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)
$44,358
Typical debt at graduation
$17,355
Debt vs. one year's pay
39%
Out-earn a HS grad
61%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.9 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
$41,140
Men
$48,473

Men out-earn women by $7,333 (18%) 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
95°F
Winter low
23°F
Annual rain
30.3″
Annual snow
11.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Alva 1W, 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 Northwestern Oklahoma State University

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

Colleges near Northwestern Oklahoma 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.