College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

East Central University

OKMedium public institution · Overall rank #369 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Affordability is the strongest Azimuth at East Central University.

Who it’s a good fit for

East Central University is a public university in Ada, Oklahoma, where the degree mix is led by Computer & Information Sciences and Parks, Recreation & Fitness. Affordability is among the highest we track.

Graduates earn less than predicts for students like them. The model attributes an addition to the factors it measures: field of study, enrollment and the local labor market.

It attributes a subtraction to the remainder it cannot explain. The measured factors do not account for the full gap.

Pell recipients complete at a rate above the overall cohort, and access is well above average. What families in the lowest income band pay after aid sits close to what the highest band pays, keeping the spread narrow.

The admission rate is below the median for comparable schools. Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study, and the largest programs are not the highest-earning ones.

East Central University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
58.2%
Six-year completion[2]
34.4%
Four-year earnings[3]
$53,649

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$7,155
Median student debt[4]
$17,671
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$9,573

East Central University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

2,467 undergraduates enroll at East Central University, a public university in Ada, Oklahoma. Its standing sits well above the middle of the field among nonprofit four-year institutions (75th percentile).

Of those who apply, 58.1% are accepted at East Central University, a rate that sits below the 85.9% median for comparable institutions (same type and size). First-year retention is 60.6%, below the median for comparable institutions of 73.7%.

For the first-time full-time cohort, the six-year graduation rate is 34.4%; the median for comparable institutions is 49.1%. An estimated 45.0% of students arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the six-year graduation figure reflects only the first-time full-time cohort.

The four pillars sit far apart. Affordability is the strongest (95th percentile), and access is also strong (84th percentile).

Return is the weakest, at the 30th percentile, while mobility sits near the middle at the 51st percentile.

Affordability is the pillar that stands out most at East Central University, landing in the 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Access is also strong, at the 84th percentile.

Mobility sits near the middle of the pack, in the 51st percentile. Return is the weakest of the four pillars, at the 30th percentile.

45.0% of undergraduates at East Central University receive Pell Grants. Among enrolled students who submitted tests, the SAT middle 50% runs from 900 to 1,120.

The ACT middle 50% runs from 17 to 24. Azimuth ranks the university #230 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Those students complete at 40.1%, 5.7 percentage points above the rate for the entering cohort as a whole. East Central University ranks #716 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $3,563 less than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

East Central University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#369

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 51
Access & reach
National percentile: 84
Affordability
National percentile: 95
Return on investment
National percentile: 30

Top-ranked majors

  1. Human Services, General#17
  2. Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness#166
  3. Accounting and Related Services#222

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / East Central University briefing

East Central University cost & financial aid[6][7]

Affordability is the pillar that stands out at East Central University, and the numbers bear that out. The published cost of attendance is $18,459, with in-state tuition and fees at $8,032 and room and board at $8,516.

For the average aid recipient, aid reduces the sticker price by about $9,776, bringing the average net price down to $8,683. That net price is $5,385 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #68 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 95th percentile.

The published cost of attendance at East Central University is $18,459. Azimuth ranks the university #68 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $8,151, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $7,155, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $10,702. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $2,551.

Aid covers about 53% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The across all aid recipients is $8,683, which is $5,385 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $17,671 in federal student loans. That is $3,558 below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions.

61.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $9,573 in Parent PLUS loans.

If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $201 a month. It estimates what a family might pay and borrow under different scenarios.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$7,155

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at East Central University

Federal borrowing is common at East Central University, with 61.9% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $17,671, which is $3,558 below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

If repaid over ten years, the median debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $201 a month. Parents who borrow through the Parent PLUS program hold a separate median of $9,573.

Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $53,649. That figure is $3,652 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), and sits at the 28th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $3,563 less than the model expects for similar students, a result at the 41st percentile. The earnings scenarios, estimated from East Central University's program mix, range from a downside of $42,052 to an upside of $74,013, with a typical scenario of $53,649.

On the debt side, median federal borrowing is $17,671, which is $3,558 below the peer median. The estimated monthly payment on that debt is $201 if repaid over ten years.

The return picture is mixed: earnings sit below both the peer median and the model's expectation, while debt is lower than what comparable institutions carry.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $9,573. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $201 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$17,671
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$9,573

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$201/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$122/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / East Central University briefing

East Central University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Return is the weakest pillar for East Central University, at the 30th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median earnings four years after completion are $53,649, which lands $3,652 below the peer median of $57,301 for comparable institutions.

That median is at the 28th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $3,563 less than the model expects for similar students.

That gap sits at the 41st percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $4,819.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $8,382. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $610.

The earnings picture at East Central University is shaped by the program a student chooses. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $53,649, based on an earnings cohort of 665 completers.

That median is $3,652 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), placing the university in the 28th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, show the range: a downside scenario of $42,052, a typical scenario of $53,649, and an upside scenario of $74,013.

An estimated 28.4% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. The four-year earnings figure reflects completers who are working and not enrolled.

Earnings at East Central University sit $3,652 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) overall. Federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn $53,649 four years after completion, at the 28th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Azimuth ranks the university #1,024 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $3,563 less than the model expects for similar students.

That places the result at the 41st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $4,819.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $8,382. Within the measured factors, the STEM component alone adds $610.

The program mix leans toward technology, health, business, and the natural sciences. Earnings scenarios for graduates, estimated from the program mix, run from $42,052 on the downside to $74,013 on the upside.

An estimated 28.4% of graduates continue on to graduate study, based on the program mix.

The earnings scenarios span from $42,052 on the downside to $74,013 on the upside, a range that reflects the mix of programs at East Central University. These are scenarios estimated from the program mix, not observed groups of graduates.

At the higher end, Nursing graduates earn $78,578 four years after completion, from 62 degrees awarded a year. Computer and Information Sciences follows at $67,666, with 87 degrees awarded.

East Central University's strongest pillar is affordability, and the debt figures bear that out. Borrowers who complete a degree leave with a median of $17,671 in federal student loans.

That is $3,558 below the $21,229 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $201 a month if repaid over ten years.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $9,573 in Parent PLUS loans. Graduates earn about $3,563 less than the model expects for similar students.

The return picture is mixed: earnings sit below the peer median and below the model's expectation, but debt is also lower than the peer median.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$4,819
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$8,382
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$3,563

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / East Central University briefing

East Central University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

East Central University admits 58.1% of applicants, well below the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
58.2%
Approximate lower endpoint
900
Reported average
1049
Approximate upper endpoint
1120

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / East Central University briefing

What are the largest majors at East Central University?[12]

The largest program at East Central University is Computer and Information Sciences, awarding 87 degrees a year. Graduates earn a median of $67,666 four years after completion.

Nursing is the highest-earning program, with 62 degrees awarded and median earnings of $78,578. Azimuth ranks it #268 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

At the more moderate end, Kinesiology and Physical Education awards 76 degrees a year and graduates earn $46,698. Azimuth ranks it #166 nationally and #3 in Oklahoma within its field.

The earnings spread across the largest programs is wide, and the highest-earning fields are not the ones awarding the most degrees.

The degree mix is led by Computer & Information Sciences, which accounts for 15.2% of bachelor's degrees awarded, ahead of Parks, Recreation & Fitness at 13.3% and Health Professions at 12.8%. Azimuth ranks 8 of the university's bachelor's programs nationally within their fields.

The strongest is Human Services, ranked #17 nationally and #1 in Oklahoma, with 40 degrees awarded and median earnings of $44,238 four years after completion. The largest program is Computer and Information Sciences, with 87 degrees awarded and median earnings of $67,666.

The highest-earning program is Nursing, at $78,578, from 62 degrees awarded. Azimuth ranks it #268 nationally and #5 in Oklahoma.

East Central University awards bachelor's degrees across 8 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 13 with published four-year earnings data. The largest program family is Computer & Information Sciences, accounting for 15.2% of degrees awarded, followed by Parks, Recreation & Fitness at 13.3% and Health Professions at 12.8%.

The largest single programs are Computer and Information Sciences with 87 degrees awarded, Kinesiology and Physical Education with 76, and Nursing with 62. The highest-ranked program is Human Services, which Azimuth ranks #1 in Oklahoma within its field.

It awards 40 degrees a year and graduates earn a median of $44,238 four years after completion. Kinesiology and Physical Education is the second-largest program and also the second-highest-ranked, at #166 nationally within its field and #3 in Oklahoma, with median earnings of $46,698.

Nursing is the highest-earning program, with a median of $78,578 and it ranks #268 nationally within its field. Accounting, a smaller program at 27 degrees a year, reports median earnings of $66,711 and ranks #222 nationally within its field.

The pattern is one of strength concentrated in a few applied fields rather than spread across the curriculum. The highest-ranked program is not the largest.

The highest-earning program is a large one. Across all fields, 13.7% of degrees awarded are in STEM.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Computer and Information Sciences, General 87 degrees awarded
$67,666
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness 76 degrees awarded
$46,698
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 62 degrees awarded
$78,578
Business Administration, Management and Operations 45 degrees awarded
$52,488
Biology, General 42 degrees awarded
$49,124
Human Services, General 40 degrees awarded
$44,238

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / East Central University briefing

What colleges are similar to East Central University?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with East Central University.

Admissions peerOklahoma Baptist University49.4% admitted
Comparison with East Central University
MeasureEast Central UniversityOklahoma Baptist University
Peer earnings · 4 years$53,649$49,999-$3,650 vs East Central University
Average annual net price$8,683$20,958+$12,275 vs East Central University · higher cost
Admission rate58.2%49.4%
Higher-admission alternativeOral Roberts University98.9% admitted
Comparison with East Central University
MeasureEast Central UniversityOral Roberts University
Peer earnings · 4 years$53,649$54,666+$1,017 vs East Central University
Average annual net price$8,683$25,365+$16,682 vs East Central University · higher cost
Admission rate58.2%98.9%
Nearby alternativeSoutheastern Oklahoma State UniversityNearby option · OK
Comparison with East Central University
MeasureEast Central UniversitySoutheastern Oklahoma State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$53,649$56,329+$2,680 vs East Central University
Average annual net price$8,683$8,039-$644 vs East Central University · lower cost
Admission rate58.2%76.4%
Explore Southeastern Oklahoma State University →
Higher-earnings alternativeUniversity of Michigan-Dearborn$77,294 earnings
Comparison with East Central University
MeasureEast Central UniversityUniversity of Michigan-Dearborn
Peer earnings · 4 years$53,649$77,294+$23,645 vs East Central University
Average annual net price$8,683$9,492+$809 vs East Central University · higher cost
Admission rate58.2%55.6%
Explore University of Michigan-Dearborn →
Lower-cost alternativeSan Diego Christian College$992 average net price
Comparison with East Central University
MeasureEast Central UniversitySan Diego Christian College
Peer earnings · 4 years$53,649$50,741-$2,908 vs East Central University
Average annual net price$8,683$992-$7,691 vs East Central University · lower cost
Admission rate58.2%30.8%
Similar profileTexas A&M University-VictoriaMatched across several measures
Comparison with East Central University
MeasureEast Central UniversityTexas A&M University-Victoria
Peer earnings · 4 years$53,649$57,364+$3,715 vs East Central University
Average annual net price$8,683$8,109-$574 vs East Central University · lower cost
Admission rate58.2%95.9%
Explore Texas A&M University-Victoria →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings