University of Tulsa

Private · Moderately Selective · OK

Photo: Marc Carlson (CC BY 2.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationOK · South

SettingUrban

Undergrads2,813

Student:faculty10:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate60.5%

6-yr grad rate72.3%

Drop-out rate7.9%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$50k

Out-of-state tuition$50k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity50.3%

Gender diversity52.1%

International4.6%

IdentityPresbyterian Church (USA)

Overview

The University of Tulsa is a private university in Tulsa, Oklahoma, whose academic identity was shaped by the oil industry that built the city around it. Petroleum engineering and the geosciences remain historic strengths tracing directly to that oil-capital heritage, while a newer, well-regarded cybersecurity program has become just as central to the school's reputation. TU is small enough to offer genuinely intimate classes across most majors, and its English-Gothic campus gives it a traditional collegiate look distinct from the surrounding Oklahoma landscape.

Academics

Beyond petroleum engineering and geosciences, TU has built one of the more recognized cybersecurity and computer science programs among schools its size, with ties to intelligence and national-security-adjacent employers. Class sizes stay small across the university, letting faculty know students individually even in technical majors. The McFarlin Library holds notable literary collections, including a major James Joyce archive, giving the English department research resources well beyond what a school this size would typically offer.

Campus & student life

The English-Gothic architecture gives campus a traditional, self-contained feel within Tulsa, a mid-size city with its own art deco downtown and oil-money cultural institutions. The undergraduate population is small enough that most students recognize each other across majors, and Greek life and Division I athletics, the Golden Hurricane, both play a real role in campus social life.

Getting in

TU has long been known for generous merit scholarships aimed at drawing strong students who might otherwise choose a bigger-name university, particularly National Merit Scholars. The application process is holistic, and the university leans on its small size and research access as its pitch against larger, more anonymous engineering and science programs.

After graduation

Petroleum engineering and geosciences graduates feed directly into the energy industry, still concentrated in Tulsa and the broader Oklahoma-Texas corridor, while cybersecurity graduates increasingly go into federal and defense-adjacent employers. The alumni network is tight and regionally concentrated rather than nationally dispersed.

utulsa.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate61.5%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1223–1530 · ACT 25–34

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying