Oklahoma State University Main Campus College Portrait
Oklahoma State University Main CampusStillwater, OK 74078
(405) 744-5358
Oklahoma State University Main Campus
The Cowboy Community
Oklahoma State university offers more than 200 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. OSU is the flagship land-grant institution of Oklahoma with a world-wide reach. Our faculty includes leaders in their fields and an array of nationally published authors and scientists. Oklahoma State University provides world-class education to all students: full-time, part-time, adult and traditional.
Our investment in teaching and research creates an educational experience that is intellectually challenging and has practical value far beyond the classroom. OSU students learn hands-on while working with world-class scientists, artists and intellectuals on cutting-edge research that is changing the way we live.
OSU has been recognized as one of America’s best College Buys in the annual U.S. News & World Report rankings. Plus, the Princeton Review named OSU as one of the best higher educational institutions in the Western United States.
OSU is also home to nearly 1,400 valedictorians, multiple Rhodes, Truman, Marshall, Udall, Goldwater, and Phi Kappa Phi Scholars.
Living in the Community
The Big Picture: How many students were on campus in Fall 2010?
More Information
| Total Students | 23,522 | |
|---|---|---|
Undergraduate Snapshot
| Total Undergraduate Students | 18,197 | |
|---|---|---|
| Gender | ||
| Women | 8,838 | 49% |
| Men | 9,359 | 51% |
| Race/Ethnicity | ||
| American Indian / Alaskan Native | 1,758 | 10% |
| Asian | 311 | 2% |
| African American / Black | 857 | 5% |
| Hispanic | 487 | 3% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0 | <1% |
| White | 14,280 | 78% |
| Two or More Races | 0 | <1% |
| International | 504 | 3% |
| Where do OSU Main Campus undergraduates call home? | |
|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 79% |
| Other US States & Territories | 19% |
| Other Countries | 3% |
| Residency Unknown | <1% |
| How old are OSU Main Campus undergraduates? | |
| Average Age | 22 |
| Percent of Undergraduates Age 25 or Older | 13% |
New Student Applications (Fall 2010)
New Freshmen High School Background and Test Scores
Test(s) Required for Admission: SAT or ACT recommended
| Test Scores of Enrolled New Freshmen | ACT | SAT |
|---|---|---|
| Composite | 22 - 28 | |
| Math | 21 - 27 | 520 - 630 |
| English | 21 - 28 | |
| Critical Reading | 490 - 600 |
50% of admitted students have test scores within the ranges listed, 25% have scores above, and 25% have scores below.
| High School Background of Enrolled New Freshmen | ||
|---|---|---|
| Percent in top 25% of High School Graduating Class | 56% | |
| Percent in top 50% of High School Graduating Class | 87% | |
| Percent of New Freshmen who submitted HS GPA | 87% | |
| Average High School GPA (4-point scale) | 3.52 | |
| Percent who submitted High School GPA | 99% | |
Sticker Price: How much does it cost on average?
Typical Undergraduate Costs for 2009-10 without Financial Aid (Full-Time, In-State Students)
Total Typical Cost of Attendance: $18,969
Out-of-State & Other Costs
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The cost to attend Oklahoma State University Main Campus varies based on the individual circumstances of students and may be reduced through grants and scholarships.
How much would I pay?
Financial Aid: How much help is there to pay?
Scholarships & Grants
- 36% of 2009-10 full-time undergraduates received need-based grants or scholarships; the average award for the year was $6,270. Scholarships and grants are financial aid that does not need to be repaid and is sometimes referred to as gift aid.
Annual Need-Based Loans
- 34% of 2009-10 full-time undergraduates received need-based work-study and/or loans (not including parent loans); the average loan for the year was $4,338. Loans need to be repaid. Typically, repayment starts once you are no longer enrolled full-time. Please refer to page 12 of the Funding Education Beyond High School guide on the US Department of Education's Federal Student Aid website for more information about Financial Need.
Percent of 2008-2009 Full-time Beginning Students Receiving Each Type of Financial Aid
NOTE: Students may receive aid from more than one source.
OSU Main Campus Classes & Instructors
| Classroom Environment | |
|---|---|
| Students per Faculty | 19 to 1 |
| Undergraduate classes with fewer than 30 students | 64% |
| Undergraduate classes with fewer than 50 students | 88% |
| Total Full-Time Instructional Faculty | 1,004 |
| % of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Who Are Female | 32% |
| % of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Who Are Persons of Color | 11% |
| % of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Who Have the Highest Academic Degree Offered in Their Field of Study | 91% |
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Campus-based Housing
93% of new freshmen live in campus-based housing or residence halls.
44% of all undergraduates live on campus
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Campus Safety
Carnegie Classification of Institutional Characteristics
The Carnegie Classification's were created "to reference the great diversity of colleges and universities in the United States, and ... enable [people] to identify groups of roughly comparable institutions." For information on the Carnegie Classifications system, please visit their website: http://classifications.carnegiefoundation.org/
- Basic Type
- Research Universities (high research activity)
- Size and Setting
- Large four-year, primarily residential
- Enrollment Profile
- High undergraduate
- Undergraduate Profile
- Full-time four-year, more selective, higher transfer-in
- Undergraduate Instructional Program
- Professions plus arts & sciences, high graduate coexistence
- Graduate Instructional Program
- Comprehensive doctoral with medical/veterinary
NOTE: Institutional classifications based on the Carnegie 2005 edition.
Student Activities and Involvement at OSU Main Campus
Students who are actively involved in their own learning and development are more likely to be successful in college. Colleges and universities offer students a wide variety of opportunities both inside and outside the classroom to become engaged with new ideas, people, and experiences. Institutions measure the effectiveness of these opportunities in a variety of ways to better understand what types of activities and programs students find the most helpful. The results from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) presented on these pages is only one of many tools Oklahoma State University uses to improve student engagement.
Institutions participating in the VSA program measure student involvement on campus using one of four national surveys. Results from the one survey are reported for a common set of questions selected as part of VSA. Following are the selected results from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). The questions have been grouped together in categories that are known to contribute to student learning and development. The results reported below are based on the responses of seniors who participated in the survey.
Group Learning Experiences
- 95% percent of seniors worked with classmates on assignments outside of class.
- 62% of seniors tutored or taught other students
- 32% of seniors spent at least 6 hours per week participating in co-curricular activities such as student organizations and intramural sports
Active Learning Experiences
- 81% of seniors spent at least 6 hours per week preparing for class
- 21% of seniors worked on a research project with a faculty member
- 57% of seniors participated in an internship, practicum, or field experience
- 62% of seniors participated in community service or volunteer work
- 13% of seniors participated in study abroad
- 93% of seniors made at least one class presentation last year
Institutional Commitment to Student Learning and Success
- 94% of seniors believe this institution provides support for student success
- 73% of seniors rated the quality of academic advising at this institution as good or excellent
- 59% of seniors reported that this institution provided help in coping with work, family and other non-academic responsibilities
- 92% of seniors reported working harder than they thought they could to meet an instructor's standards or expectations
Student Interaction with Campus Faculty and Staff
- 57% of seniors believed that the campus staff were helpful, considerate, or flexible
- 75% of seniors believed that faculty are available, helpful, or sympathetic
- 94% of seniors reported that faculty members provided prompt feedback on their academic performance
- 68% of seniors discussed readings or ideas with faculty members outside of class
Experiences with Diverse Groups of People and Ideas
- 62% of seniors reported that they often tried to understand someone else's point of view
- 83% of seniors reported their experience at this institution contributed to their understanding people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds
- 48% of seniors often had serious conversations with students of a different race or ethnicity
Student Satisfaction
- 84% of seniors would attend this institution if they started over again
- 86% of seniors rated their entire educational experience as good or excellent
- 83% of seniors reported that other students were friendly or supportive
Evaluation of Experiences
Survey Administration Process
Survey Information
Majors and Degrees
| Degrees awarded at Oklahoma State University Main Campus in 2009-10 | |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 3,787 |
| Master's | 1,007 |
| Doctoral | 291 |
| Total | 5,085 |
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| Areas of Study with the largest number of bachelor's degrees awarded in 2009-10 | |
|---|---|
| BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES | 29% |
| FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES/HUMAN SCIENCES | 9% |
| ENGINEERING | 8% |
| AGRICULTURE, AGRICULTURE OPERATIONS, AND RELATED SCIENCES | 8% |
| EDUCATION | 7% |
| Links to degree programs at Oklahoma State University Main Campus |
|---|
Bachelor'sMaster'sDoctoral |
Student Success & Progress Rate
A 85% four-year success and progress rate means that 85% of students starting in Fall 2004 either graduated or are still enrolled at a higher education institution four years later.
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Counts for the Fall 2004 entering class shown in the graph above.
- 3,126 First-Time, Full-Time Students
- 1,419 Full-Time Transfer Students
Success & Progress Rate Table
Retention of Freshman Class
First-time students in Fall 2009 that returned for their second year: 78%
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Student Learning at Oklahoma State University Main Campus
All colleges and universities use multiple approaches to measure student learning. Many of these are specific to particular disciplines, many are coordinated with accrediting agencies, and many are based on outcomes after students have graduated.
Assessment of student learning outcomes is the cornerstone of Oklahoma State University's assessment program. Faculty members work within their discipline to evaluate the educational impact of academic programs and use the information to improve curricula and student programs. Program outcomes assessment within a degree program includes a process of articulating expected student learning outcomes, collecting data to evaluate the extent to which students achieve those outcomes, and using assessment data for program improvement. OSU faculty members guide the program assessment process by defining their program's expected educational outcomes, identifying and using assessment tools for evaluating student achievement, and actively using assessment data to justify what's working well in the program and to identify areas for program growth and development.
In 2009-2010, undergraduate and graduate programs at OSU reported 362 program outcomes assessment methods. The most commonly reported assessment methods were comprehensive, qualifying, preliminary, standardized, or course exams (23% of the total), faculty panel or faculty review of student work (20% of the total), dissertations, theses, or creative components (10% of the total), surveys of alumni (10% of the total), and oral presentations (9% of the total). Other reported program assessment methods included portfolios, internship or clinical evaluations, capstone projects, and other performance assessments.
In 2009-2010 undergraduate and graduate programs reported 335 uses of program outcomes assessment data (each use may represent more than one assessment method). The most common use of program outcomes assessment data was to monitor and ensure student achievement of the learning outcome. Other common uses included improvements to the assessment process (20% of the total), curriculum changes (10% of the total), changes to courses (7% of the total), consideration and discussion of improvements (4% of the total), and other uses including advising, hiring decisions, communication with students, development of new courses, and student recruitment. The large number of uses of program outcomes assessment demonstrates that it is an integral and essential element of OSU's commitment to improving student learning.
In addition to outcomes assessment at the program and college level, OSU regularly assesses five outcomes that are expected of all OSU students as a result of the general education curriculum: written communication, critical thinking, math problem solving, science problem solving, and diversity. OSU uses faculty panels to evaluate samples of student work from across campus. Assessment results are shared broadly with faculty members and other stakeholders to identify ways to improve students' achievement of these five important outcomes. One way OSU has worked to improve student achievement of these five outcomes is through the Provost’s Faculty Development Initiative: Focus on General Education. This initiative provides faculty participants the opportunity to learn new techniques for teaching the learning outcomes, to create or revise course assignments, and to collaborate with colleagues on improving teaching. OSU has a strong commitment to student achievement in these five areas and uses assessment as a tool to improve curricula and teaching practices.
The final element of OSU's assessment strategy involves following-up with alumni through annual surveys. These surveys gather data on how well OSU prepared students for continuing education or employment, on the level of satisfaction with OSU, and on a variety of other important elements. In 2010, a survey of alumni from undergraduate programs found 92% of employed alumni in a position related to their degree were prepared very well or adequately for their current position and 92% of alumni that went on to graduate school were prepared very well or adequately for their continued education. 91% of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with their overall educational experience at OSU. In 2009 a survey of alumni from graduate programs found 93% of employed alumni were prepared very well or adequately for their current position. 88% of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with their overall educational experience at OSU.
For more information, visit the University Assessment and Testing website at http://uat.okstate.edu
Learning Assessment Examples
Pilot Project to Measure Core Learning Outcomes
Colleges and universities participating in the College Portrait measure the typical improvement in students' abilities to think, reason, and write using one of three tests. This is part of a pilot project to better understand and compare what students learn between their freshman and senior years at different colleges and universities.
2010-11 Results from the ETS Proficiency Profile (formerly MAPP)
The ETS Proficiency Profile (formerly MAPP) measures critical thinking, analytic reasoning, and written communication and reports separate scores on critical thinking and written communication.
Test Administration Process
Test Information
Critical Thinking Results for First-time, Full-time Students
The increase in learning on the performance task is above what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.
Freshman Score: 114
Senior Score: 119
ETS score range: 100 to 130
Average ACT scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 26
Senior Score: 27
Written Communication Results for First-time, Full-time Students
The increase in learning on the performance task is above what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.
Freshman Score: 117
Senior Score: 120
ETS score range: 100 to 130
Average ACT scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 26
Senior Score: 27