Public · University

Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Weatherford, Oklahoma · Remote town

Admit rate
$14,459
Avg net price
40%
Graduation rate
$45,744
Median earnings

Southwestern Oklahoma State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Weatherford, Oklahoma (remote town setting), enrolling 3,514 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 3,514 undergradsRemote townNCAA Division II with football · Great American ConferenceCold winters

About Weatherford, Oklahoma

Weatherford is a city in Custer County, Oklahoma, United States. Situated on land made available to homesteaders as part of the Cheyenne-Arapaho Roundup and Removal on April 19, 1892, Weatherford was incorporated on August 3, 1898, on a townsite location chosen by banking and civic leader Beeks Erick. Kodak's 50-year old manufacturing plant in Weatherford was subject to a $15 million expansion in 2017 related to flexographic packaging plates. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
453 miles
Nearest airport
63 miles to OKC Will Rogers World (OKC) · major hub

How Southwestern Oklahoma State University compares

Graduation rate40%

Higher than 22% · #11 of 22 in Oklahoma

First-year retention68%

Higher than 26%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$45,744

Higher than 26% · #13 of 23 in Oklahoma

Average net price$14,459

Cheaper than 75% · #8 cheapest of 22 in Oklahoma

Median debt at graduation$15,954

Lower than 89%

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 14%

Undergraduate enrollment3,514

Larger than 72%

Percentiles compare Southwestern 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.

Southwestern Oklahoma State University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

4,353students
  • Undergraduate3,51481%
  • Graduate83919%

Undergraduates by gender

3,514undergrads
  • Women2,11360%
  • Men1,40140%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White60%
  • Black5.2%
  • Hispanic14%
  • Asian1.1%
  • Other or multiracial19%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
3,514
Graduate enrollment
839
Student–faculty ratio
19 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
39%
First-generation students
41%
Students over 25
21%
Median family income
$41,302
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$70,875
Endowment
$38,705,626

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 734 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Oklahoma92%
  • Other U.S. states7.3%
  • International1.2%

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

1% 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.

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,469
Out-of-state tuition
$8,499
Room & board
$7,634
Books & supplies
$1,318
Total cost of attendance
$23,334
Average net price
$14,459

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)
40%
Graduated on time (4 years)
27%
First-year retention
68%
Transferred to another college
17%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$42,896
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$45,744
Median debt at graduation
$15,954
Students with federal loans
31%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
57%

About 13% 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
27%
Low-income (Pell)
36%
First-generation
37%

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
1,372
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
39%
Housing charge (year)
$3,200
Meal plan (year)
$4,210
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Great American Conference
Varsity athletes
348 (215 men · 133 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 (9)

Football132
Baseball39
Basketball31
Rodeo31
Soccer30
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)28
Softball23
Golf18
Volleyball16

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

Campus safety

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

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (5,186 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
2.7 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
1.7
Rape
0.7
Burglary
0.7
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
$10,987
$30–48k
$10,094
$48–75k
$12,069
$75–110k
$17,500
$110k+
$19,595

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
$54,238

$12,069/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.

85%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,876
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 85% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,876. 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 720 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)
$45,744
Typical debt at graduation
$15,954
Debt vs. one year's pay
35%
Out-earn a HS grad
62%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.5 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
$41,190
Men
$52,946

Men out-earn women by $11,756 (29%) 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
94°F
Winter low
26°F
Annual rain
30.1″
Annual snow
5.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Weatherford, 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 Southwestern Oklahoma State University

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

Colleges near Southwestern 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.