Graduates of Southwestern Oklahoma State University earn median earnings of $57,954 four years after enrollment, placing Southwestern Oklahoma State University in the 32.9 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure sits below the $56,249 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Graduates earn about $7,862 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 82.5 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Those figures still represent lifetime returns relative to OK's no-degree-equivalent earnings baseline of $30,928 (the state median earnings of working adults without a postsecondary credential). Southwestern Oklahoma State University's degree output is anchored in Health, which accounts for 14% of graduates, followed by Education at 9% and Arts at 2%. Nursing combines strong enrollment with solid earnings, making it a key contributor to the institution's overall return profile. Azimuth ranks Nursing #107 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology, with 192 graduates earning median earnings of $89,549. Business Administration also stands out, with Azimuth ranking it #309 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions and graduates earning median earnings of $51,657. Among the most popular programs, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the Administration, and Administration program graduates 76 students annually and Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General graduates 43, both feeding into stable regional career pathways across Oklahoma.
Graduates of Southwestern Oklahoma State University earn median earnings of $57,954 four years after enrollment, placing Southwestern Oklahoma State University in the 32.9 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure sits below the $56,249 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Graduates earn about $7,862 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 82.5 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Those figures still represent lifetime returns relative to OK's no-degree-equivalent earnings baseline of $30,928 (the state median earnings of working adults without a postsecondary credential). Southwestern Oklahoma State University's degree output is anchored in Health, which accounts for 14% of graduates, followed by Education at 9% and Arts at 2%. Nursing combines strong enrollment with solid earnings, making it a key contributor to the institution's overall return profile. Azimuth ranks Nursing #107 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology, with 192 graduates earning median earnings of $89,549. Business Administration also stands out, with Azimuth ranking it #309 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions and graduates earning median earnings of $51,657. Among the most popular programs, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the Administration, and Administration program graduates 76 students annually and Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General graduates 43, both feeding into stable regional career pathways across Oklahoma.
Latest FE earnings field: 10-year
How graduate earnings grow across the currently available FE horizons.
Financial justification for the investment.
Graduates of Southwestern Oklahoma State University earn median earnings of $57,954 four years after enrollment, placing Southwestern Oklahoma State University in the 32.9 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure sits below the $56,249 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Graduates earn about $7,862 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 82.5 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Those figures still represent lifetime returns relative to OK's no-degree-equivalent earnings baseline of $30,928 (the state median earnings of working adults without a postsecondary credential). Southwestern Oklahoma State University's degree output is anchored in Health, which accounts for 14% of graduates, followed by Education at 9% and Arts at 2%. Nursing combines strong enrollment with solid earnings, making it a key contributor to the institution's overall return profile. Azimuth ranks Nursing #107 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology, with 192 graduates earning median earnings of $89,549. Business Administration also stands out, with Azimuth ranking it #309 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions and graduates earning median earnings of $51,657. Among the most popular programs, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the Administration, and Administration program graduates 76 students annually and Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General graduates 43, both feeding into stable regional career pathways across Oklahoma.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
Southwestern Oklahoma State University's program mix is anchored in Health, with meaningful enrollment in education and business — a portfolio shaped by the institution's role as a regional public university serving western Oklahoma. Business accounts for 14% of graduates, Education represents 9%, and Arts makes up 2%. Across 22 programs serving roughly 835 students annually, 9 meet Azimuth's ranking threshold — a focused portfolio where health-sciences and applied-professional fields drive the strongest financial outcomes. The highest earnings come from health and nursing programs. The Nursing program graduates 192 students and delivers median earnings of $89,549 four years after enrollment; Azimuth ranks the program #107 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Business Administration follows with 116 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $51,657, and Azimuth ranks it #309 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Subject-Specific Teacher Education, with 40 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $47,607, holds a rank of #110 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Nursing combines strong cohort scale with solid pay, making it the program that contributes most to the institution's overall earnings profile. The largest programs by enrollment — Nursing (192 graduates), Business Administration (116 graduates), and Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, and Administration (76 graduates) — reflect the university's applied-professional orientation. Several of these fields feed directly into local and regional labor markets in healthcare, education, and business administration, where demand remains steady across rural and mid-size Oklahoma communities. The supply-demand map for college graduates provides broader context for how these program families align with national hiring trends. Education-focused programs like Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General and Subject-Specific Teacher Education serve students planning to stay in the region, while health programs channel graduates into careers with stronger wage trajectories and broader geographic mobility.
Lower quartile, 10-year field
Upper quartile, 10-year field
Graduates of Southwestern Oklahoma State University earn median earnings of $57,954 four years after enrollment, placing Southwestern Oklahoma State University in the 32.9 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure sits below the $56,249 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Graduates earn about $7,862 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 82.5 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Those figures still represent lifetime returns relative to OK's no-degree-equivalent earnings baseline of $30,928 (the state median earnings of working adults without a postsecondary credential). Southwestern Oklahoma State University's degree output is anchored in Health, which accounts for 14% of graduates, followed by Education at 9% and Arts at 2%. Nursing combines strong enrollment with solid earnings, making it a key contributor to the institution's overall return profile. Azimuth ranks Nursing #107 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology, with 192 graduates earning median earnings of $89,549. Business Administration also stands out, with Azimuth ranking it #309 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions and graduates earning median earnings of $51,657. Among the most popular programs, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the Administration, and Administration program graduates 76 students annually and Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General graduates 43, both feeding into stable regional career pathways across Oklahoma.
