Oral Roberts University

Private · Moderately Selective · OK

Photo: w_lemay (CC BY-SA 2.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationOK · South

SettingUrban

Undergrads3,487

Student:faculty18:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate48.9%

6-yr grad rate56.8%

Drop-out rate19.5%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$35k

Out-of-state tuition$35k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity67%

Gender diversity57.8%

International18.6%

IdentityOther Protestant

Overview

Oral Roberts University is a charismatic evangelical university in Tulsa, founded by televangelist Oral Roberts and built around a "whole person" educational philosophy that treats spiritual, physical, and academic development as equally central. Its futuristic campus, anchored by the 200-foot Prayer Tower, is among the most visually distinctive of any American university.

Academics

Every student takes theology coursework regardless of major, and ministry-related degrees remain a core offering, but business and nursing have grown into substantial professional programs in their own right. Class sizes stay small, and faculty are expected to integrate faith explicitly into coursework across disciplines, not only in religion classes.

Campus & student life

An honor code and defined behavioral expectations, including chapel attendance and the university's long-standing fitness requirement, a legacy of Oral Roberts's original whole-person vision, shape daily student life more directly than at most universities. Campus culture is close-knit and expressly faith-centered, with charismatic and Pentecostal worship traditions visible in chapel services and student life.

Getting in

ORU's application looks for genuine alignment with its faith commitments alongside academic readiness; a pastoral reference or statement of faith is typically part of the process, and the honor code is presented as a binding commitment students agree to, not a formality.

After graduation

Ministry graduates go on to pastoral and missions work worldwide through the university's global outreach connections, while business and nursing graduates place regionally and nationally. The alumni network is unusually active in charismatic and Pentecostal church and ministry circles specifically.

Worth knowing

The whole-person model's fitness requirement and honor code are not symbolic; they're enforced parts of the student experience, so a student uncomfortable with a defined behavioral and spiritual commitment should weigh that seriously before enrolling.

oru.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate98.9%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1120–1310 · ACT 22–28

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying