University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
University of Oklahoma Featured Rankings
- #1 Best Grad Schools in Oklahoma 2026
- #1 Best Colleges in Oklahoma 2026
- #1 Best Research Universities in Oklahoma
- #1 Best Public Colleges in Oklahoma 2026
- #1 Oklahoma's Best Online Master's Degrees
- #1 Most Affordable Colleges in Oklahoma
- #1 Oklahoma's Best Online Colleges 2026
- #1 Best Online MBAs Oklahoma
- #2 Most Influential US Universities by State
- #4 Online Colleges That Start Anytime
- #9 Online Master’s in Data Science
- #15 Online Master’s in Engineering
- #22 The Most Influential Colleges in Football Today
- #31 Best Online Master's Programs
- #39 Best Public Colleges
About University of Oklahoma
Featured Alumnus
Rodney L. Lowman ranks among our Top Influential Psychologists Today.
The University of Oklahoma (OU) was founded in 1890. Among OU’s most popular programs are those in the fields of business, engineering, communication, and journalism.
OU is associated with many distinguished alumni and faculty, including the following persons:
- Mathematician, Gladys West
- Philosophers—Linda Zagzebski, Zev Trachtenberg, and Nancy E. Snow
- Actors—James Garner, Van Heflin, Dennis Weaver, and Ed Harris
- Dramatic soprano, Roberta Knie
- Baritone, Stephen Dickson
- Singer-songwriters, Tom Paxton and David Gates
- Physicist, James Benford
- Meteorologists, Erik N. Rasmussen and Neil B. Ward
- Botanist, Norman H. Boke
- Historians of science—David B. Kitts, Dwayne H.D. Roller, and F. Jamil Ragep
- Former US Representatives—Carl Albert, Dick Armey, and J.C. Watts
- US Representative, Tom Cole
- Former US Senator, Tom Coburn
OU is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
According to Wikipedia, The University of Oklahoma is a public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the state of Oklahoma. In Fall 2022, the university had 28,840 students enrolled, most at its main campus in Norman. Employing nearly 3,000 faculty members, the university offers 152 baccalaureate programs, 160 master's programs, 75 doctoral programs, and 20 majors at the first professional level.
University of Oklahoma's Online Degrees
MS in Civil Engineering
- Required Credits: 32
- Completion Time: 21 months
- Format: Fully online
MES in Environmental Science
- Required Credits: 32
- Completion Time: 21 months
- Format: Fully online
University of Oklahoma Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22,337 | 77% | 90% | 75% | 1235 | 26 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does University of Oklahoma Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $10,181 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $11,203 |
| 30K - 48K | $10,500 |
| 48K - 75K | $13,101 |
| 75K - 110K | $19,131 |
| 110K+ | $19,219 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do University of Oklahoma Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former University of Oklahoma students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $66,905 a year, and 92% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
University of Oklahoma's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 32,954 | 24,081 | 8,873 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is University of Oklahoma?
University of Oklahoma is located at 660 Parrington Oval, Norman, OK 73019-3072.
How Safe is University of Oklahoma?
Relative to its enrollment, University of Oklahoma has a violent crime rate of 0.05% and a property crime rate of 0.14%. Norman has a violent crime rate of 0.27% and a property crime rate of 2.30%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is University of Oklahoma Known For?
University of Oklahoma is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Earth Sciences
- History
- Social Work
- Business
- Law
- Education
- Medical
- Anthropology
- Sociology
- Engineering
- Communications
- Political Science
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Psychology
- Chemistry
- Criminal Justice
- Literature
- Computer Science
- Philosophy
- Economics
- Religious Studies
University of Oklahoma's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much University of Oklahoma's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
University of Oklahoma ranks #30 in the U.S. and #112 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesUniversity of Oklahoma ranks #44 in the U.S. and #121 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesUniversity of Oklahoma ranks #59 in the U.S. and #98 worldwide for influence in Social Work.
social-work DegreesUniversity of Oklahoma ranks #65 in the U.S. and #163 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesUniversity of Oklahoma ranks #69 in the U.S. and #205 worldwide for influence in Law.
University of Oklahoma ranks #71 in the U.S. and #222 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesUniversity of Oklahoma ranks #71 in the U.S. and #201 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesUniversity of Oklahoma ranks #71 in the U.S. and #185 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesUniversity of Oklahoma ranks #85 in the U.S. and #263 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesUniversity of Oklahoma ranks #86 in the U.S. and #329 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesUniversity of Oklahoma ranks #91 in the U.S. and #289 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesUniversity of Oklahoma ranks #91 in the U.S. and #307 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesUniversity of Oklahoma ranks #94 in the U.S. and #351 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesUniversity of Oklahoma ranks #103 in the U.S. and #422 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesUniversity of Oklahoma ranks #105 in the U.S. and #219 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesUniversity of Oklahoma ranks #105 in the U.S. and #472 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesUniversity of Oklahoma ranks #108 in the U.S. and #153 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.
criminal-justice DegreesUniversity of Oklahoma ranks #117 in the U.S. and #317 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesUniversity of Oklahoma ranks #141 in the U.S. and #529 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesUniversity of Oklahoma ranks #151 in the U.S. and #495 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesUniversity of Oklahoma ranks #154 in the U.S. and #675 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesUniversity of Oklahoma ranks #157 in the U.S. and #698 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesWho Are University of Oklahoma's Most Influential Alumni?
University of Oklahoma's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Social Work, History, and Earth Sciences. Here are some of University of Oklahoma's most famous alumni:
- Gregory Benford
- A Science fiction author and astrophysicist.
- Eugene Landy
- An American psychologist.
- Gladys West
- An American mathematician known for her contributions to Global Positioning Systems.
- Thomas W. Gilligan
- An American academic.
- Henry T. Lynch
- A Physician noted for research into genetic links to cancer.
- Huey Long
- An American politician, Governor of Louisiana, and United States Senator .
- Dean Wooldridge
- An American aerospace engineer.
- Azar Nafisi
- An Iranian academic and writer.
- Pat Choate
- An American economist.
- Troy Aikman
- An American professional football player.
- Jim Butcher
- An American author.
- James Garner
- An American film and television actor .
Who Are University of Oklahoma's Most Influential Faculty?
University of Oklahoma's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Social Work, History, and Earth Sciences. Here are some of University of Oklahoma's most famous faculty:
- Ana Maria Rey
- A Colombian physicist.
- Susan E. Alcock
- An American classical archaeologist.
- Christina Warinner
- An Archaeological geneticist.
- Michael Alexander
- An Academic and, as of Feb 2013, Associate professor in the religious studies department of the University of California, Riverside.
- Gordon McDougall
- A British theatre director.
- David R. Morgan
- An American political scientist.
- Jonathan Stalling
- An American translator.
- Alan McPherson
- A Historian.
- Katharine Kanak
- An American meteorologist.
- Caroline T. Schroeder
- A US classicist, Professor of Classics and Letters at the University of Oklahoma.
