Oklahoma Baptist University

Private · Selective · OK

Photo: Gigrantula (CC BY-SA 3.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationOK · South

SettingRural

Undergrads1,308

Student:faculty16:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate43.1%

6-yr grad rate52.4%

Drop-out rate28.3%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$36k

Out-of-state tuition$36k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity37.7%

Gender diversity54.7%

International1%

IdentityBaptist

Overview

Oklahoma Baptist University sits in Shawnee, just east of Oklahoma City, a Baptist institution built around a residential, faith-centered community affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. Raley Chapel's bell tower is the visual landmark of campus and a fitting symbol for a school where Christian identity runs through daily life, not just the classroom. It's a small enough university that most students recognize each other, and that scale reinforces the sense of a shared, values-driven community rather than a loose collection of majors.

Academics

Nursing and ministry are the standout professional programs, backed by a strong core liberal-arts curriculum that's explicitly taught from a Christian worldview across all majors, not confined to religion courses. Music and church music have deep roots here too, consistent with the university's Baptist heritage and its long history of training worship leaders and educators. Class sizes tend to be small enough for real faculty relationships, typical of a school this size, and pre-professional students get close, individualized advising through their major departments.

Campus & student life

Campus life is residential and close-knit, with chapel and faith-based programming woven into the rhythm of the week rather than treated as optional or extracurricular. Shawnee is a small town, so campus itself is the center of student social life, reinforced by Greek-adjacent social clubs, distinctive to OBU's culture, that stand in for national fraternities and sororities. Athletics compete at the NCAA Division II level as the Bison, and the whole campus community tends to show up for games given the school's size.

Getting in

OBU looks for students comfortable with an explicitly Christian academic environment and campus culture, and the application process reflects that fit alongside standard academic review — a short faith-related essay or statement is a typical part of applying. It is not a large-applicant-pool formula school; personal and spiritual fit with the university's mission matters as much as the transcript itself.

After graduation

Graduates from the nursing program place reliably into regional hospitals and health systems, while ministry graduates move into pastoral work, missions, and Christian education, often within Baptist denominational networks specifically. The alumni network, while not large, is unusually tight and denominationally connected, particularly for students entering ministry or Christian nonprofit work.

Worth knowing

Faith commitments are a real part of daily campus life here, including chapel attendance expectations — a student should know that going in, since it shapes the culture far more than at a school with looser religious affiliation. OBU's social clubs, rather than national Greek chapters, are a distinctive piece of campus tradition worth understanding.

okbu.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate49.4%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1070–1240 · ACT 17–19

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying