Best-Value Colleges in Oklahoma
8 Oklahoma 4-year colleges ranked by return on investment - 10-year graduate earnings per dollar of net price - among schools that beat the state median on earnings and graduation rate.
Quick answer
The best-value college in Oklahoma is University of Tulsa, Tulsa - a net price of $13,511 against $61,408 in median 10-year earnings, an ROI of 4.5×, with a 73% graduation rate. Every school here turns a modest cost into outsized, above-median earnings.
| # | School | Net price /yr | 10-yr earnings | ROI (earn ÷ price) | Grad rate | In-state tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  University of Tulsa Tulsa, OK | $13,511 | $61,408 | 4.5× | 73% | $52,566 |
| 2 |  University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Norman, OK | $15,531 | $63,126 | 4.1× | 75% | $10,181 |
| 3 |  Southern Nazarene University Bethany, OK | $15,955 | $54,951 | 3.4× | 49% | $32,750 |
| 4 |  Oklahoma State University-Main Campus Stillwater, OK | $17,058 | $57,413 | 3.4× | 66% | $10,444 |
| 5 |  Oklahoma Baptist University Shawnee, OK | $15,979 | $48,434 | 3.0× | 50% | $37,330 |
| 6 |  Oklahoma Christian University Edmond, OK | $23,169 | $49,203 | 2.1× | 55% | $28,200 |
| 7 |  Oral Roberts University Tulsa, OK | $29,244 | $46,885 | 1.6× | 54% | $37,350 |
| 8 |  Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City, OK | $36,514 | $54,655 | 1.5× | 64% | $35,648 |
How we ranked this
From every Oklahoma four-year college that publishes net price, 10-year median earnings, and graduation rate, we keep only those that beat the state median on earnings and that graduate at least 45% of students (or the state median grad rate, whichever is higher). We then rank by ROI = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price - the dollars of graduate earnings each dollar of net price buys - highest first. This rewards genuine return on investment rather than the cheapest sticker price, and the 4-year + outcome guards keep out the low-completion and 2-year outliers a pure price sort surfaces. Colleges missing any of the three figures are excluded, never estimated. Minimum 5 qualifying schools required to publish a page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best-value college in Oklahoma?+
University of Tulsa in Tulsa has the highest return on investment among Oklahoma 4-year colleges that beat the state median on outcomes: a net price of $13,511 against $61,408 in 10-year median earnings - an ROI of 4.5× (dollars earned per dollar of annual net price) - with a 73% graduation rate.
What does "net price" mean?+
Net price is the average annual cost students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the full cost of attendance - a far better affordability measure than sticker tuition. We use the College Scorecard average net price.
How is "best value" defined here?+
Value means return on investment, not cheapness. Among Oklahoma four-year colleges that beat the state median on BOTH 10-year graduate earnings and graduation rate (and graduate at least 45% of students), we rank by the ROI ratio = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price. The school that turns each tuition dollar into the most graduate earnings ranks first.
Is the cheapest college always the best value?+
No. A rock-bottom price that leads to low earnings is worse value than a moderate price that leads to high earnings. That is exactly why we rank by the earnings-to-net-price ratio rather than by lowest price, and require above-median earnings and graduation rates first. Colleges missing net price, earnings, or graduation data are excluded rather than estimated.
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Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · IPEDS. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “-” and never estimated. GetInto.College does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.