Northeastern State University
Tahlequah, Oklahoma · Also known as NSU · Website
$45,379
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$45,379
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Northeastern State University is a public 4-year college in Tahlequah, Oklahoma with 4,772 undergraduates and 1,640 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $12,710 a year (tuition and fees $7,810 in-state, $17,290 out-of-state). It admits 100% of applicants and 35% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $45,379 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $17,367 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$12,710
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$7,810
Out-of-state $17,290
Admission rate
100%
US median 78%
Completion rate
35%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$17,367
About $184 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$45,379
Rank 1,963 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $12,710
- Tuition in-state
- $7,810
- Tuition out-of-state
- $17,290
- Cost of attendance
- $21,551
- Students with a need-based grant
- 45%
- Students with federal loans
- 36%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $10,598
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $9,827
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $12,612
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $18,188
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $19,511
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $5,547 in 2015-16 to $7,810 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 100%
- Average SAT
- 1,049
- SAT reading, middle
- 517
- SAT math, middle
- 465
- ACT, middle
- 20
- Undergraduates
- 4,772
- Graduate students
- 1,640
- Part-time students
- 24%
- Women
- 62%
- Students per teacher
- 16
- Completion rate
- 35%
- Retention rate
- 61%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 110
- Endowment
- $44.7M
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,963 of 5,094 US colleges and 19 of 90 in Oklahoma (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | OK median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $12,710 | $12,429 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $7,810 | $7,921 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 100% | 76% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 35% | 61% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 61% | 71% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $17,367 | $15,936 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $41,207 | $34,450 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $45,379 | $37,856 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 53% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 68% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
110 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research and Experimental PsychologyOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 133 | $18,579 | $32,440 | $46,102 | $55,695 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 111 | $17,829 | $43,690 | $60,651 | $68,257 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 97 | $20,000 | $31,794 | $41,705 | $53,072 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 88 | $17,499 | $42,150 | $43,116 | $47,382 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 74 | $12,500 | $80,792 | $96,702 | $88,910 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 74 | $18,225 | $49,823 | $65,781 | $76,194 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 68 | $16,000 | $80,820 | $81,944 | $103,485 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 56 | $18,547 | $29,464 | $44,064 | $54,562 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 55 | $18,054 | $39,668 | $50,268 | $55,378 |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical SciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 47 | $14,500 | $34,174 | $50,981 | $66,697 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionOnlineMaster's | Master's | 43 | $32,894 | $55,459 | $69,399 | $71,685 |
| Computer ScienceOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 41 | $19,000 | Withheld | $67,854 | $107,009 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's | Bachelor's | 39 | $22,000 | $43,045 | $45,474 | $51,389 |
| Health Professions Education, Ethics, and HumanitiesOnlineMaster's | Master's | 38 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $100,487 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasMaster's | Master's | 37 | $23,000 | $51,005 | $52,560 | $63,707 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyMaster's | Master's | 35 | $40,699 | $49,040 | $65,037 | $65,184 |
| Social WorkBachelor's | Bachelor's | 32 | $23,250 | $38,168 | $54,943 | $51,790 |
| Social WorkMaster's | Master's | 31 | $20,000 | $48,645 | Withheld | - |
| MarketingOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 31 | $15,750 | $39,360 | $54,577 | $69,303 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, OtherOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 30 | $19,297 | $43,368 | $57,549 | $55,693 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 28 | $19,500 | $45,998 | Withheld | $83,343 |
| OptometryProfessional | Professional | 27 | $158,826 | $106,097 | $119,476 | $131,525 |
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies/TechniciansBachelor's | Bachelor's | 24 | $14,924 | $49,321 | $69,276 | $86,525 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and ServicesMaster's | Master's | 24 | $33,410 | $50,247 | $60,979 | $67,030 |
| Special Education and TeachingOnlineMaster's | Master's | 22 | $27,917 | Withheld | $51,106 | $64,397 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Tahlequah and Oklahoma on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Oklahoma
- Homes: Homes for sale in Oklahoma
Questions and answers
How much does Northeastern State University cost?
$12,710 a year is the average net price at Northeastern State University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $7,810 for in-state students and $17,290 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $21,551. Families earning under $30,000 pay $10,598 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Northeastern State University?
100% of applicants are admitted to Northeastern State University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,049 and the middle ACT score is 20. The median admission rate of colleges in Oklahoma is 76%.
How much do Northeastern State University graduates earn?
$45,379 a year is the median pay of former Northeastern State University students who work, 10 years after they started ($41,207 after 6 years). That ranks 1,963 of 5,094 US colleges and 19 of 90 in Oklahoma. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Optometry (Professional) at $106,097.
How much student debt do Northeastern State University graduates have?
$17,367 is the median federal student loan debt of Northeastern State University graduates, about $184 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 36% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Northeastern State University?
35% of first-time, full-time students at Northeastern State University finish within 6 years. 61% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Northeastern State University?
Research and Experimental Psychology (133 bachelor's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (111 bachelor's graduates), Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (97 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 110 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.