Oklahoma·Business and Financial Operations Occupations·SOC 13-2082

Best Tax Preparer programs in Oklahoma, ranked by enrollment

Prepare tax returns for individuals or small.

33 schools in Oklahoma run programs that feed this job, graduating 910 people a year. The job pays a median of $42,700 in Oklahoma across about 1,300 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledTax AdvisorTax PreparerEnrolled AgentCPA (Certified Public Accountant)Tax ExpertTax AssociateTax EvaluatorTax Accountant
Graduates / yr
910
in Oklahoma
Median pay · Oklahoma
$42,700
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
1,300
people employed
Schools
33
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
51%
across those schools
Median net price
$23,214
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Oklahoma that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

2 programs in Oklahoma that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Oklahoma (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Oklahoma page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 52.0301In Oklahoma
740
81.3%
20$51,824$24,433
2
CIP 52.0302In Oklahoma
170
18.7%
14$51,824$24,433

Top 25 schools in Oklahoma

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 7 of the 33 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1University of Oklahoma - Norman Campus
Norman, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
261Accounting$62,93075%77%
2Oklahoma State University - Main Campus
Stillwater, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
195Accounting$50,94368%75%
3Northeastern State University
Tahlequah, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
54Accounting$49,82335%100%
4University of Central Oklahoma
Edmond, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
53Accounting$56,88937%78%
5Tulsa Community College
Tulsa, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
50Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping28%
6Rose State College
Midwest City, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
34Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping20%
7Southeastern Oklahoma State University
Durant, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
32Accounting$44,99232%76%
8Mid - America Christian University
Oklahoma City, OK Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
26Accounting44%$17,08892%
9Tulsa Technology Center
Tulsa, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
25Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping81%
10East Central University
Ada, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
17Accounting$46,41934%58%
11Oklahoma Christian University
Edmond, OK Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
16Accounting56%$21,96497%
12Cameron University
Lawton, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
14Accounting$44,52031%
13Francis Tuttle Technology Center
Oklahoma City, OK Public · 2 feeder programs
13Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping52%
14Oral Roberts University
Tulsa, OK Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
13Accounting57%$23,54399%
15Community Care College
Tulsa, OK Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
11Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping67%$25,909
16University of Tulsa
Tulsa, OK Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
11Accounting72%$23,47062%
17Eastern Oklahoma County Technology Center
Choctaw, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
10Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping92%
18Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City, OK Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
9Accounting65%$22,58977%
19Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
8Accounting35%$26,67166%
20Southern Nazarene University
Bethany, OK Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
8Accounting51%$19,619
21Canadian Valley Technology Center
El Reno, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
7Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping71%
22Gordon Cooper Technology Center
Shawnee, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
7Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping90%
23Northwestern Oklahoma State University
Alva, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
7Accounting30%65%
24Central Technology Center
Drumright, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
5Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping85%
25Oklahoma Baptist University
Shawnee, OK Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
5Accounting52%$23,21449%

All 33 schools in Oklahoma

Every school in Oklahoma with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Oklahoma that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
University of Oklahoma - Norman CampusNormanPublic2611
Oklahoma State University - Main CampusStillwaterPublic1951
Northeastern State UniversityTahlequahPublic541
University of Central OklahomaEdmondPublic531
Tulsa Community CollegeTulsaPublic501
Rose State CollegeMidwest CityPublic341
Southeastern Oklahoma State UniversityDurantPublic321
Mid - America Christian UniversityOklahoma CityPrivate not-for-profit261
Tulsa Technology CenterTulsaPublic251
East Central UniversityAdaPublic171
Oklahoma Christian UniversityEdmondPrivate not-for-profit161
Cameron UniversityLawtonPublic141
Francis Tuttle Technology CenterOklahoma CityPublic132
Oral Roberts UniversityTulsaPrivate not-for-profit131
Community Care CollegeTulsaPrivate not-for-profit111

What tax preparers earn in Oklahoma

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Oklahoma
$42,700
Mean annual
$48,910
Jobs in state
1,300
What the range looks like
10th pct$26,720Median$42,70090th pct$82,210
Versus the national median
-22.3%

U.S. median $54,920. Oklahoma pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
1.54×

Concentrated here: Oklahoma employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.

Metro areas in Oklahoma

Tulsa, OK
$38,000median
300 jobs
Oklahoma City, OK
$49,450median
590 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+4.5%
About as fast as average
Openings per year
10,400
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
4,100
90,600 → 94,700
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Plus moderate-term on-the-job training

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Tax Preparers page.

How to become a Tax Preparer

Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Top skills

Reading ComprehensionActive ListeningCritical ThinkingSpeakingActive LearningWriting

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Oklahoma

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 3 majors mapped to Tax Preparers3 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 52.0301Accounting
  • 52.0302Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping
  • 52.1601Taxation

Common questions

Answers for people weighing tax preparers programs in Oklahoma.

What degree do you need to become a Tax Preparer?+

High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Accounting, which awarded 740 degrees in Oklahoma in 2024-25, 81.3% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Tax Preparer?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this occupation. The largest are Accounting and Related Services. Together they graduate about 910 people a year in Oklahoma.

How much do tax preparers earn in Oklahoma?+

The median is $42,700 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 22.3% below the U.S. median of $54,920. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for tax preparers growing?+

BLS projects a +4.5% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 10,400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Oklahoma?+

33 institutions in Oklahoma reported graduates from at least one of the 2 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do tax preparers work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Tax Advisor, Tax Preparer, Enrolled Agent, CPA (Certified Public Accountant) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 13-2082.

Programs in OklahomaAccounting

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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