Admissions & selectivity
Oakland University Acceptance Rate & Admissions
What is the acceptance rate at Oakland University?
Oakland University’s reported acceptance rate is 87.8%.
- Acceptance rate · Fall 2024
- 87.8%
Source: College Scorecard · Fall 2024 admissions. Acceptance rates can change from year to year; this figure does not predict the current or next admission cycle.
Source: Oakland University Common Data Set 2024-25, C1 · first-time, first-year students.
How to interpret the acceptance rate
Oakland University admits 87.8% of applicants, a rate that reflects broad access rather than narrow selectivity. The median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is 78.1%.
In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported 17,461 applicants and 15,358 admitted students.
What SAT and ACT scores do enrolled Oakland University students report?
In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported a middle-half SAT range of 920 to 1160 among enrolled first-year students who submitted scores. 79% of the entering class submitted SAT results.
The ACT range was 21 to 29, drawn from the 5% who submitted ACT scores. The reported average high-school GPA was 3.48.
Among enrolled first-year students with a reported class rank, 15% placed in the upper tenth of their high-school class and 42% in the upper quarter. These ranges describe the middle half of enrolled students who provided scores, not a cutoff.
An applicant whose SAT composite sits near that band, or whose ACT composite falls between the 25th and 75th percentile figures, shares the score profile of many recent enrollees.
The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at Oakland University. Use them as academic context, then check the university’s current testing policy for your application cycle.
79% of entering students submitted SAT scores
- 25th percentile
- 920
- Median
- 1040
- 75th percentile
- 1160
CDS 2024-25 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
5% of entering students submitted ACT scores
- 25th percentile
- 21
- Median
- 25
- 75th percentile
- 29
CDS 2024-25 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
Source: Oakland University Common Data Set 2024-25, C9 · Enrolled first-time, first-year score submitters.
Who enrolls at Oakland University?
- Pell Grant recipients
- 32.0%
- Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group
- 38.8%
- First-year retention
- 77.9%
Retention source: College Scorecard; full-time first-year retention.
About these student measures
The entering-student group includes part-time entrants as well as other attendance patterns.
Transfer students make up an estimated 38.8% of Oakland University's undergraduates. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported 2,979 degree-seeking transfer applicants, 2,612 admitted students, and 1,228 enrolled transfers.
The university enrolls 12,351 undergraduates overall, with 32.0% receiving Pell Grants. These patterns point to a campus where prior college experience is widespread and federal need-based aid reaches a large portion of the student body.
Pell-eligible and transfer applicants should verify how prior credits apply and ask what support offices guide students who enter after starting elsewhere.
Students who start at Oakland University are more likely than not to earn a degree within six years. However, the university's retention and graduation rates both sit below the medians for comparable institutions.
The first-year retention rate is 77.9%, below the peer median of 83.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). The six-year graduation rate is 57.6%, also below the peer median of 65.0%.
For Pell Grant recipients, the six-year completion rate is 53.3%, which is below the overall rate by 4.3 percentage points.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Admission rates describe past applicants, not an individual’s chance of admission; confirm requirements and deadlines with the institution.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.