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Northeastern State University: NSU Net Lab
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Regional university

Northeastern State University

Tahlequah, OK · Public · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $12,710 a year

Median debt at graduation: $17,367 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

Academic Excellence

C+Academic Excellence: C+ (grade C+): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Solid
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.35%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.61%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 1,049 · ACT 20.5
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.16 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$11,563

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.

Average net price by family income
Family incomePrice after aid
Up to $30,000$10,598
$30,001–$48,000$9,827
$48,001–$75,000$12,612
$75,001–$110,000$18,188
Over $110,000$19,511

Full cost of attendance before aid: $21,551 a year.

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
5,006
Men and women
Undergraduates, fall 2023 (College Scorecard)
Men 38% · Women 62%
First-generation students
Share of students who are first-generation, by the College Scorecard’s definition
42%
First-year students from another state
Of first-time students whose home is a U.S. state, fall 2023 (IPEDS)
5%
Total students6,466
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$12,710
Cost of attendance (per year)$21,551
Median federal debt at graduation$17,367
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
35%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard)
45%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard)
44%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
Borrowers who repaid at least $1 of principal within 3 years (College Scorecard)
53%
First-year retention61%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$45,379
Admission rate100%
Application fee
Undergraduate application fee, 2023–24 (IPEDS)
$25
Students receiving Pell grants45%
Admitted students’ middle range:SAT 866–1136ACT 18–23
Admission test scores (middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores)
Average SAT1049
SAT reading & writing438–593
SAT math428–543
ACT composite18–23
Test policyConsidered but not required

Value: Very good · Top 26% (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
MajorMedian earnings
Nursing$96,702
Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians$69,276
Computer science$67,854
Accounting$65,781
Business administration$60,651
Interdisciplinary studies$57,549
Management information systems$55,328
Social work$54,943
Marketing$54,577
Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services$54,484
Mathematics$53,978
Biology$53,387
Speech-language pathology$53,271
Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences$50,981
Criminal justice$50,268
Communication studies$49,854
Public health$48,057
History$47,608
Journalism$46,506
Experimental psychology$46,102
Secondary education$45,474
Kinesiology and exercise science$44,064
Teacher education$43,116
Liberal arts$41,705
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences$40,275
Psychology$39,474
English$38,731

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Allied health, Area studies, Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education, Chemistry, Clinical laboratory science, Community Organization and Advocacy, Design, Engineering Physics, Entrepreneurship, Ethnic and gender studies, Finance, Fine arts, Geography, Geography and Environmental Studies, Homeland Security, Hospitality management, International business, Mechanical engineering, Music, Natural resources and conservation, Other engineering/engineering-related technologies/technicians, Other health professions and related clinical sciences, Physics, Political science, Pre-law and legal studies, Romance languages, Security science, Sociology, Special education, Theatre, Writing and rhetoric.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
FieldShare of degrees
Business17%
Psychology14%
Health professions12%
Education12%
Liberal arts and general studies8%

Campus life

School colors
SettingTown
Part-time undergraduates24%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older31%
On-campus room and board (per year)$11,120
SportsNCAA Division II · Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association
ROTCArmy
Study abroadOffered
Students per faculty member16 to 1
Faculty who are full-time74%Of instructional faculty, fall 2023 (College Scorecard)
Endowment per student$5,130Endowment at the end of fiscal year 2023, per full-time-equivalent student (IPEDS)
Dorm spaceFor about 24% of studentsCampus beds divided by undergraduate enrollment. Not how many students live on campus (IPEDS)
Nearest airport with scheduled flightsNorthwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA)About 45 miles away in a straight line (OurAirports)
Town population16,9352020–2024 five-year estimate (U.S. Census Bureau)
Nearest city of 250,000 people or moreTulsaAbout 54 miles away in a straight line (U.S. Census Bureau)
Average temperature in January39°F1991–2020 normal, from TAHLEQUAH, OK US, about 1 miles away (NOAA)
Average temperature in July81°F1991–2020 normal, from TAHLEQUAH, OK US, about 1 miles away (NOAA)

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.

Campus safety reports

On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.

On-campus crimes per 1,000 students
CategoryThis campusU.S. rate
Rape0.050.07
Robbery0.000.01
Aggravated assault0.000.04
Burglary0.000.08
Motor vehicle theft0.000.15

Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.

Source: Official data: U.S. Department of Education

Questions families ask

What is Northeastern State University’s Compass Score?
Solid (grade C+). The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does Northeastern State University cost after financial aid?
The average net price is $12,710 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How hard is it to get into Northeastern State University?
Northeastern State University admitted 100% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do Northeastern State University’s graduates do?
35% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $45,379; the median federal debt at graduation is $17,367.

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