Private nonprofit · University

Southern Nazarene University

Bethany, Oklahoma · Large suburb

Admit rate
$22,084
Avg net price
51%
Graduation rate
$54,951
Median earnings

Southern Nazarene University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Bethany, Oklahoma (large suburb setting), enrolling 1,455 undergraduates. It has a Church of the Nazarene religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,455 undergradsLarge suburbNCAA Division II with football · Great American ConferenceCold winters

About Bethany, Oklahoma

Bethany is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. Bethany was founded July 28, 1909 as a community where members of the Church of the Nazarene, an evangelical Christian movement that developed from Holiness churches, could practice their religious beliefs without interference by non-members. Bethany became the headquarters for the International Pentecostal Holiness Church in 1975. It is also the headquarters for the Pinto Horse Association of America. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
425 miles
Nearest airport
8 miles to OKC Will Rogers World (OKC) · major hub

How Southern Nazarene University compares

Graduation rate51%

Higher than 41% · #8 of 22 in Oklahoma

First-year retention73%

Higher than 39%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$54,951

Higher than 53% · #6 of 23 in Oklahoma

Average net price$22,084

Cheaper than 41% · #19 cheapest of 22 in Oklahoma

Median debt at graduation$21,900

Lower than 60%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment1,455

Larger than 48%

Percentiles compare Southern Nazarene 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

2,197students
  • Undergraduate1,45566%
  • Graduate74234%

Undergraduates by gender

1,455undergrads
  • Women80055%
  • Men65545%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White49%
  • Black13%
  • Hispanic18%
  • Asian1.2%
  • Other or multiracial18%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,455
Graduate enrollment
742
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
47%
First-generation students
38%
Students over 25
31%
Median family income
$46,277
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$61,011
Endowment
$50,029,010

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 365 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Oklahoma67%
  • Other U.S. states33%

A regional draw: about 65% of first-years come from Oklahoma, the rest from elsewhere.

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.

Cost

In-state tuition
$31,190
Room & board
$9,474
Books & supplies
$1,528
Total cost of attendance
$46,465
Average net price
$22,084

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)
51%
Graduated on time (4 years)
48%
First-year retention
73%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$48,255
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$54,951
Median debt at graduation
$21,900
Students with federal loans
60%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
56%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
48%
Low-income (Pell)
51%
First-generation
54%

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
690
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
47%
Housing charge (year)
$4,800
Meal plan (year)
$4,760
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Great American Conference
Varsity athletes
677 (431 men · 246 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 (13)

Football167
Soccer82
Other Sports67
Basketball63
Track and Field (Indoor)61
Track and Field (Outdoor)61
Baseball47
Softball36
Golf25
Volleyball20
Cross Country17
Bowling16
Equestrian15

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
5

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (2,198 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.

1.7reported offenses a year
0 violent a year1.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
1.3
Arson
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
$18,931
$30–48k
$18,323
$48–75k
$22,590
$75–110k
$27,082
$110k+
$27,434

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
$91,950

$22,590/year × about 4.1 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.

99%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$16,649
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 99% — get grant money from Southern Nazarene University itself, averaging $16,649, 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 257 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)
$54,951
Typical debt at graduation
$21,900
Debt vs. one year's pay
40%
Out-earn a HS grad
73%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.0 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
$52,858
Men
$56,786

Men out-earn women by $3,928 (7%) 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
28°F
Annual rain
30.7″
Annual snow
6.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Oklahoma City Post AP, OK US station (1.7 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 Southern Nazarene University

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

Colleges near Southern Nazarene 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.