Private nonprofit · University

Oakwood University

Huntsville, Alabama · Midsize city

#2 most selective in Alabama
45.2%
Admit rate
$25,669
Avg net price
45%
Graduation rate
$42,488
Median earnings

Oakwood University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Huntsville, Alabama (midsize city setting), enrolling 1,153 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). It has a Seventh Day Adventists religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,153 undergradsMidsize citySelective · 45% admitNAIA Division I

About Huntsville, Alabama

Huntsville is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. An Indian trader and boatman named James Ditto established himself at a landing on the river prior to American settlement. Revolutionary War veteran John Hunt was a pioneer in 1805 on land around the Big Spring. Twickenham Historic District was chosen as the name of the first of three of the city's historic districts. It features homes in the Federal and Greek Revival architectural styles introduced to the city by Virginia-born architect George Steele about 1818. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
288 miles
Nearest airport
11 miles to Huntsville (HSV)

How Oakwood University compares

Selectivity45.2%

More selective than 86% · #2 most selective of 24 in Alabama

Graduation rate45%

Higher than 30% · #17 of 29 in Alabama

First-year retention71%

Higher than 34%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$42,488

Higher than 18% · #21 of 30 in Alabama

Average net price$25,669

Cheaper than 27% · #24 cheapest of 27 in Alabama

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment1,153

Larger than 41%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,202students
  • Undergraduate1,15396%
  • Graduate494%

Undergraduates by gender

1,153undergrads
  • Women67659%
  • Men47741%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White1.4%
  • Black65%
  • Hispanic7.6%
  • Asian1.6%
  • Other or multiracial25%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,153
Graduate enrollment
49
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
44%
First-generation students
18%
Students over 25
8%
Median family income
$36,829
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$49,617
Endowment
$9,755,394

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 290 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Alabama18%
  • Other U.S. states82%

A national draw — only 14% of first-years come from Alabama; 64% arrive from other states.

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
45.2%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$22,512
Room & board
$9,384
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$40,176
Average net price
$25,669

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)
45%
Graduated on time (4 years)
30%
First-year retention
71%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$30,969
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$42,488
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Students with federal loans
57%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
24%

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
30%
Low-income (Pell)
21%
First-generation
22%

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
1,266
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%+
Housing charge (year)
$4,742
Meal plan (year)
$5,358
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Varsity athletes
112 (55 men · 57 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 (5)

Basketball33
Soccer30
Baseball21
Volleyball15
Softball13

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
6.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
8
Property offenses (2022–2024)
14

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,226 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.

7.3reported offenses a year
2.7 violent a year4.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
4.7
Aggravated assault
1.7
Fondling
1.0

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
$23,999
$30–48k
$22,444
$48–75k
$24,501
$75–110k
$28,074
$110k+
$27,219

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
$109,675

$24,501/year × about 4.5 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.

92%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$12,811
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 92% — get grant money from Oakwood University itself, averaging $12,811, which softens the sticker price.

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 374 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)
$42,488
Typical debt at graduation
$27,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
64%
Out-earn a HS grad
38%

Typical debt would take roughly 6.4 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

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
$46,878
Men
$37,929

Women out-earn men by $8,949 (24%) 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
92°F
Winter low
33°F
Annual rain
54.3″
Annual snow
2.4″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.05.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Huntsville Intl AP, AL US station (10.9 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 Oakwood University

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

Colleges near Oakwood 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.