College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus

OKLarge public institution · Overall rank #101 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth places University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus in the 93rd percentile nationally.

Who it’s a good fit for

The fit is clearest for a student who wants a large public university in Oklahoma with a degree mix led by Business and Engineering. University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus has mobility that is among the highest we track.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures adds to expected earnings, while the part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts from them.

Pell students complete at a rate below the cohort as a whole. So the access picture is mixed: affordability is above average and access is well above average, while mobility sits among the highest we track.

The admission rate is below the median for comparable institutions. A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the best-paid ones — Petroleum Engineering and Computer Science — are much smaller.

University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
76.6%
Six-year completion[2]
75.3%
Four-year earnings[3]
$73,280

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$14,536
Median student debt[4]
$20,654
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$31,890

University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

The University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus is a public university in Norman, Oklahoma, enrolling 22,734 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits in the top tenth of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (93rd percentile).

The shape is an open-access public campus where mobility is the strongest and affordability the weakest, with return and access sitting between them. The university admits 76.6% of applicants, a rate close to the 78.1% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size.

Of students who start full time, 90.0% return for a second year, against a median of 83.1% for comparable institutions. The six-year graduation rate is 75.3%, well above the 65.0% median for comparable institutions.

An estimated 29.2% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students. Mobility is the strongest of the four pillars.

Return and access sit between mobility and affordability, which is the weakest pillar. The pillars sit some distance apart, with mobility well ahead of the other three.

Mobility is the clearest strength at University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus, while affordability is the weakest part of its four-pillar profile. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, mobility sits in the 93rd percentile and return in the 90th percentile.

Access reaches the 77th percentile, whereas affordability is in the 70th percentile. Strong mobility and return sit alongside a comparatively weaker affordability measure.

25.0% of undergraduates at University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus receive Pell Grants. Those students complete at 53.3%, 22.0 percentage points below the rate for the entering cohort as a whole.

Azimuth ranks the university #338 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks the university #98 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,338 more than the model expects for similar students.

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

University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#101

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 93
Access & reach
National percentile: 77
Affordability
National percentile: 70
Return on investment
National percentile: 90

Top-ranked majors

  1. Zoology/Animal Biology#2
  2. Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General#3
  3. Petroleum Engineering#4

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 / University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus briefing

University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus cost & financial aid[6][7]

The University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus publishes a cost of attendance of $28,872. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $5,370 and required fees of $4,811 for the 2025-26 academic year, with on-campus food and housing at $15,798.

Nonresidents face a published tuition of $23,490. After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients is $15,300, which is $334 below the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Financial aid reduces the published cost by $13,572 on average. Azimuth ranks the university #422 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 70th percentile.

At University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus, the published cost of attendance is $28,872, and aid recipients’ prices vary across family-income bands. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $10,509 for the lowest family-income band; $10,602 for the next band; $14,536 for the middle band; $19,342 for the next-highest band; and $20,986 for the highest family-income band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,477. Azimuth ranks the public university #422 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid covers about 47% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, so the listed cost is not the average amount aid recipients pay. Across all aid recipients, the is $15,300, after average financial-aid savings of $13,572 against the sticker price.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $15,634, placing the university $334 below that benchmark. Its overall aid-recipient price is close to the peer median.

Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $20,654. The peer median debt at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $20,076, making the university’s figure $578 above the comparison point; 83.9% of aid recipients borrow federal loans.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing for parent borrowers is $31,890. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $235 a month if repaid over ten years.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$14,536

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus

Federal borrowing is common at University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus, where 83.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $20,654.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median is $20,076, making the university's median $578 above it. Parent borrowers are a separate population, with median Parent PLUS borrowing of $31,890.

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 44% of graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $32,351 per borrower. That reporting includes federal loans held by 42% of graduates, averaging $20,559. It also includes private loans held by 10% of graduates, averaging $49,107.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $73,280. That places the university in the 81st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, and $7,670 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $9,338 more than the model expects for similar students. That outcome falls in the 82nd percentile nationally.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, stretch from $52,525 in a downside case to $96,432 in an upside case. On the borrowing side, completers who took federal loans leave with a median of $20,654.

That is $578 above the peer median of $20,076, and corresponds to an estimated payment of $235 a month if repaid over ten years.

For the separate population of Parent PLUS parent borrowers, median federal borrowing is $31,890. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $235 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
$20,654
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$31,890

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

Estimated student payment · monthly
$235/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$405/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 / University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus briefing

University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus shows an above-peer earnings picture and a high return standing for a public university. Azimuth places its return pillar in the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $9,338 more than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, in the 82nd 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 $10,343. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $1,005.

Four years after completion, median earnings are $73,280, which Azimuth places in the 81st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $65,610, with University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus above it by $7,670. The model result and peer comparison point the same way.

University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus graduates show a strong earnings picture, with a broad cohort and modeled outcomes that vary substantially by program mix. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled had median earnings of $73,280 four years after completion.

That places the school in the 81st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 4,335 completers. The typical earnings scenario is $73,280, while the downside scenario is $52,525 and the upside scenario is $96,432.

An estimated 29.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The scenario range gives a fuller view than the median alone, showing how field of study can coincide with different early-career earnings.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $73,280, in the 81st percentile. That is $7,670 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus #153 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,338 more than the model expects for similar students.

That gap sits in the 82nd percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $10,343.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $1,005. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $2,171.

The university's program mix points to a wide range of possible outcomes. The downside earnings scenario, estimated from lower-earning program clusters, is $52,525, while the upside scenario reaches $96,432.

An estimated 29.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Earnings at University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus vary widely across earnings scenarios and across its highest-earning fields. The downside scenario is $52,525, compared with an upside scenario of $96,432; these are earnings scenarios from the program mix, not observed groups.

Computer Science reached $110,853, and Finance reached $106,719. Those field-level figures show why the modeled range is much wider than a single schoolwide median.

At University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus, median federal student loan debt for borrowers who completed is $20,654, above the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $578. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $235 a month if repaid over ten years.

Graduates earn about $9,338 more than the model expects for similar students. Parent PLUS borrowers are a separate parent-borrower population, with median debt of $31,890.

For aid recipients, average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $15,300, close to the peer median at comparable institutions. Aid covers about 47% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

Debt sits close to the peer median alongside earnings beyond expectations.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$10,343
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$1,005
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$9,338

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 / University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus briefing

University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

At 76.6%, University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus admits applicants at a rate below the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). The figure describes the share admitted from the reported applicant pool, rather than an individual applicant’s likelihood of admission.

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported 24,893 first-year applicants and 19,069 admitted applicants.

SAT: reported composite scores
Admission rate
76.6%
25th percentile
1160
Median
1238
75th percentile
1320

CDS 2024-25 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus briefing

What are the largest majors at University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus?[12]

Among the programs shown here, Finance has the highest four-year earnings, at $106,719, alongside 196 degrees awarded. Azimuth ranks it #24 in its field among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Marketing is another higher-earning field, with $77,606 and 244 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks the program #43 in its field among nonprofit four-year institutions. At more moderate earnings levels, Zoology/Animal Biology reports $55,682 on 216 degrees awarded and ranks #2 in its field.

Journalism shows $54,031 with 253 degrees awarded, and Azimuth ranks it #35 in its field among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Program outcomes vary substantially by field, with several nationally prominent options carrying different earnings levels. Azimuth lists 45 ranked fields at University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus among nonprofit four-year institutions nationally within their fields.

Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies ranks #3, with 75 degrees awarded and median earnings of $59,001. Petroleum Engineering ranks #4, with 39 degrees awarded and median earnings of $123,416.

The bachelor's degrees at University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus are anchored in Business, which accounts for 25.1% of degrees awarded, with Engineering at 11.4% and Communication & Journalism at 8.8%. Azimuth ranks 45 of its programs nationally, and 49 programs have published four-year earnings data.

The largest program is Psychology, at 311 degrees awarded, followed by Human Resources Management and Services with 294 degrees awarded and Journalism with 253 degrees awarded. The highest-ranked program is Zoology/Animal Biology, which Azimuth ranks #2 nationally within its field and #1 in Oklahoma.

It awards 216 degrees and its graduates earn a median of $55,682 four years after completion. Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies ranks #1 in Oklahoma, with 75 degrees awarded and a benchmark ratio of 1.17x against the national median for its field.

The highest-earning program is Petroleum Engineering, where graduates earn a median of $123,416 from 39 degrees awarded, a much smaller cohort than the largest programs. Computer Science follows at $110,853 with 102 degrees awarded, and Finance at $106,719 with 196 degrees awarded, where Azimuth ranks it #24 nationally and #1 in Oklahoma.

The pattern is a broad public university where strength is spread across several fields rather than concentrated in one. The largest programs by degrees awarded are not the highest-earning ones, and the highest earnings come from engineering and computer science, fields with relatively few degrees awarded. 23.1% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Psychology, General 311 degrees awarded
$56,458
Human Resources Management and Services 294 degrees awarded
$65,881
Journalism 253 degrees awarded
$54,031
Marketing 244 degrees awarded
$77,606
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities 217 degrees awarded
$65,474
Zoology/Animal Biology 216 degrees awarded
$55,682

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 / University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus briefing

How does University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus serve students from different backgrounds?

Completion and modeled earnings give University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus a strong mobility profile. Azimuth places its mobility pillar in the 93rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The first-time full-time cohort has a six-year graduation rate of 75.3%, while Pell recipients complete within six years at 53.3%, below the overall rate by 22.0 percentage points. Graduates earn about $9,338 more than the model expects for similar students, placing earnings beyond expectations, the gap between graduate earnings and the model's expectation for similar students, in the 82nd percentile.

High overall completion and above-expected earnings coexist with a lower Pell completion rate.

Access is broad at University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus: 22,734 undergraduates enroll, and the admission rate is 76.6%. Pell Grants reach 25.0% of undergraduates, while an estimated 29.2% arrive as transfers or part-time students.

Azimuth places the access pillar in the 77th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. These measures show several entry routes alongside a large undergraduate population.

06 / University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus briefing

What colleges are similar to University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus?[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 University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus.

Admissions peerOklahoma City University77.0% admitted
Comparison with University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
MeasureUniversity of Oklahoma-Norman CampusOklahoma City University
Peer earnings · 4 years$73,280$64,450-$8,830 vs University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
Average annual net price$15,300$22,857+$7,557 vs University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus · higher cost
Admission rate76.6%77.0%
Higher-admission alternativeOklahoma Christian University96.5% admitted
Comparison with University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
MeasureUniversity of Oklahoma-Norman CampusOklahoma Christian University
Peer earnings · 4 years$73,280$67,575-$5,705 vs University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
Average annual net price$15,300$21,872+$6,572 vs University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus · higher cost
Admission rate76.6%96.5%
Nearby alternativeOklahoma State University-Main CampusNearby option · OK
Comparison with University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
MeasureUniversity of Oklahoma-Norman CampusOklahoma State University-Main Campus
Peer earnings · 4 years$73,280$65,492-$7,788 vs University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
Average annual net price$15,300$17,447+$2,147 vs University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus · higher cost
Admission rate76.6%75.0%
Explore Oklahoma State University-Main Campus →
Higher-earnings alternativeSan Jose State University$89,614 earnings
Comparison with University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
MeasureUniversity of Oklahoma-Norman CampusSan Jose State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$73,280$89,614+$16,334 vs University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
Average annual net price$15,300$13,760-$1,540 vs University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus · lower cost
Admission rate76.6%84.6%
Explore San Jose State University →
Lower-cost alternativeCUNY Brooklyn College$3,103 average net price
Comparison with University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
MeasureUniversity of Oklahoma-Norman CampusCUNY Brooklyn College
Peer earnings · 4 years$73,280$62,833-$10,447 vs University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
Average annual net price$15,300$3,103-$12,197 vs University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus · lower cost
Admission rate76.6%58.4%
Explore CUNY Brooklyn College →
Similar profileThe University of Texas at DallasMatched across several measures
Comparison with University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
MeasureUniversity of Oklahoma-Norman CampusThe University of Texas at Dallas
Peer earnings · 4 years$73,280$76,497+$3,217 vs University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
Average annual net price$15,300$18,267+$2,967 vs University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus · higher cost
Admission rate76.6%65.1%
Explore The University of Texas at Dallas →

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