Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPublic

Northeastern State University

Tahlequah, Oklahoma·Public, 4-year or above·Southwest·nsuok.edu
6-yr Graduation
35%
-1.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
6,751
peer median 5,718
Avg net price
$12,710
—
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AdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeCommon Data Set

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

IPEDS
Applied
1,727
1,727 candidates competed
Admitted
1,720
99.6% acceptance rate
Enrolled
671
39.0% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
35%-1.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
21%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
35%
Full-time retention
60%

Pell equity

11.6pp gap
Pell recipients
30%130 of 438
Non-Pell (all)
42%166 of 399
Subsidized loan, no Pell
37%52 of 141
No Federal Aid
44%114 of 258

Non-Pell students graduate at a 11.6-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 144 Title IV programs, 37 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 107 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
144
Passing
37
25.7% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

144programs
  • Passing37 · 25.7%
  • No Data107 · 74.3%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
6
Safe
30
No data
107

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

37
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Master's Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+6.1%
$53,366 vs $50,308
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+17.4%
$38,731 vs $32,989
Special Education and Teaching
Master's Degree · Education
+18.0%
$51,106 vs $43,298
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+19.7%
$39,474 vs $32,989
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+21.2%
$60,979 vs $50,308
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Master's Degree · Education
+21.4%
$52,560 vs $43,298
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences General
Bachelor Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
+22.1%
$40,275 vs $32,989
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+26.4%
$41,705 vs $32,989

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

31
Optometry
First Professional Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
134%
$159,703 debt · $119,476 earn
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Master's Degree · Psychology
58%
$37,384 debt · $65,037 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
53%
$21,885 debt · $41,705 earn
Special Education and Teaching
Master's Degree · Education
52%
$26,331 debt · $51,106 earn
Public Health
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
51%
$24,683 debt · $48,057 earn
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
51%
$42,338 debt · $82,883 earn
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
50%
$30,734 debt · $60,979 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
50%
$19,875 debt · $39,474 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1949Next review Aug 2032
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1922

Programmatic accreditations · 14

Action history · 17

  1. Jul 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
  2. Jun 2025Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary Withdrawal
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (MNUR) - Master's program
  3. Jan 2024Approved for Distance Education
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
  4. Jan 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
  5. Jul 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$10,598
$30–48k$9,827
$48–75k$12,612
$75–110k$18,188
$110k+$19,511

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$12,710
vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $12,717
Federal loans
35.9%
In-state tuition
$7,810
Out-of-state
$17,290

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 2,907 students received $15.9M in Pell grants, alongside $28.2M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
2,907
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$15.9M
$15,915,528 total
Direct Loans
$28.2M
4,147 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

3k
’20
3k
’21
2k
’22
3k
’23
3k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$5.8M
1,546 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$6.9M
1,511 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$11.5M
744 loan awards
Parent PLUS$1.8M
183 loan awards
Grad PLUS$2.3M
163 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 1,863 borrowers who entered repayment, 11 (0.5%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.5%
-1.8pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
1,863
Defaulted
11
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
10.6%
2017
8.9%
2018
3.7%
2019
0.5%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Northeastern State

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs99
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,488 total completions
01Business
34823.4%
02Health Professions
26417.7%
03Education
25717.3%
04Psychology
21214.2%
05Parks/Recreation
875.8%
06Security/Protective
865.8%
07Liberal Arts
865.8%
08Public Admin
523.5%
09Biological Sciences
493.3%
10Multi/Interdisciplinary
473.2%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
6,751
12-mo unduplicated
8,228
Undergraduate
6,117
Graduate
2,111

Gender split

Men
35%2,906
Women
65%5,322

Race / ethnicity composition

White
40.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native
21.4%
Two or more
15.4%
Hispanic
8.8%
Black
4.9%
Non-resident
3.9%
Asian
2.6%
Unknown
2.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.3%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
314
231 M · 83 W
Women athletes
26.4%
Athletic aid
$2.3M
Total student aid
Budget
$6.1M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$1.6M
$704K
Recruiting expense
$35K
$18K
Head-coach salaries
$53K
$48K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 7

Football
129 M · —
$2.0M
Soccer
33 M · 27 W
$696K
Baseball
43 M · —
$459K
Basketball
15 M · 16 W
$942K
Softball
— · 24 W
$279K
Golf
11 M · 8 W
$314K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.15
1 offenses · 6,466 students

3-year trend

0.432 yrs ago0.901 yr ago0.15Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
10
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
17
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
1

By location

1total
  • On campus1

Includes 1 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

1
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
10
Stalking
11 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs215
Liquor013

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
16.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
261

Northeastern State vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Northeastern State selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectNortheastern State University
35%—6,751$12,710Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Southeastern Oklahoma State University
32%76.4%5,851$8,039Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
41%100.0%5,186$14,459Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of Central Oklahoma
37%78.1%12,554$18,309Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
East Central University
34%58.1%3,377$8,683Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
The University of Texas Permian Basin
40%94.9%5,585$12,723Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median36%78.1%5,718$12,717

Institutions like Northeastern State

Explore the federal data for institutions in Northeastern State's comparison group.

IPEDS

Northeastern State Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Effectiveness
Reports to Office of the Provost
Email
nsuie [at] nsuok.edu
Phone
918-444-2210
Address
Business and Technology, Room 209, Tahlequah, OK 74464

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness is responsible for providing comprehensive and appropriate data and analyses for reporting, planning, evaluation, program review, accreditation, and assessment.

Visit IR office page
Team
3 members
  • Richard Hoenes
    Executive Director
  • Morgan Grovenburg
    Assistant Director
  • Marina Tinnell
    Information System Manager

Common Data Set

Northeastern State's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.

Total enrollment
6,409
4,996 UG · 1,413 grad
6-yr graduation rate
37%
First-year retention
63%
Student–faculty ratio
13.3 to 1
01

Affordability & Value

Where grant aid comes from

H1
Federal68.5%
State21.3%
External7.2%
Institutional3.0%

3% of need-based grant dollars come from the institution itself.

Graduate debt

H4/H5
Grads with debt
61%
Avg debt
$21,544

61% of graduates borrowed; those who did owed $21,544 on average.

02

Outcomes & Equity

Graduation & retention

B
6-yr grad rate
37%
Retention
63%

6-year graduation rate 37%; first-year retention 63%.

Equity: Pell graduation gap

B4
All students37%
Pell recipients31%

Pell-grant recipients graduate 6 pts below the overall rate (31% vs 37%).

03

Academic Experience

Class-size distribution

I3
2-9 students342
10-19 students309
20-29 students300
30-39 students143
40-49 students30
50-99 students12
100+ students0

57% of classes have under 20 students; 1% have 50+.

Faculty profile

I
Student–faculty ratio
13.3 to 1
Faculty with terminal degree
50%
Women faculty
56%

Key faculty indicators.

Degrees by discipline

J
Business/marketing21.5%
Health professions and related programs11.9%
Education11%
Psychology10.8%
Liberal arts/general studies7.9%
Homeland Security, law enforcement, firefighting, and protective services6%
Biological/life sciences5.1%
Parks and recreation4.6%

STEM-dominant: ~12% of bachelor's degrees are in computing, engineering, math & sciences.

04

Student Body & Diversity

Undergraduate race/ethnicity

B2
White, non-Hispanic43.3%
American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic22.9%
Two or more races, non-Hispanic15.3%
Hispanic/Latino8.0%
Black or African American, non-Hispanic4.5%
Asian, non-Hispanic2.5%
Race and/or ethnicity unknown2.0%
Nonresidents1.5%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic0.1%

Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity.

International students

B2
International UG
75
Share
2%

2% of undergraduates are international (nonresident).

Undergrad vs graduate

B1
Undergraduate
4,99678%
Graduate
1,41322%

4,996 undergraduates and 1,413 graduate students.

05

Transfer Path

Transfer admissions

D1
Applied
883
Admitted
878
Enrolled
604

883 transfer applicants → 878 admitted (99.4%) → 604 enrolled

Source publications

Frequently asked questions about Northeastern State University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Northeastern State.

What is the graduation rate at Northeastern State University?

Northeastern State University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 35% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Northeastern State University?

Northeastern State University reports a total enrollment of 6,751 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Northeastern State University?

The average net price at Northeastern State University is $12,710 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Northeastern State University?

Northeastern State University's yield rate is 39.0%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Northeastern State University located?

Northeastern State University is located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma 74464-2399.

Who runs Institutional Research at Northeastern State University?

Northeastern State University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, which reports to Office of the Provost.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
U.S. Department of Education
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
U.S. Department of Education
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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