Oakwood University
Huntsville, AL · Private · Midsize city · OU
Private institution in Huntsville, AL · 1,253 undergraduates · 51% acceptance rate · $42,488 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 17%Acceptance rate
- Top 20%Student-faculty ratio
- Top 21%Pell Grant share
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $23,3841,359th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $21,8381,168th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $21,838955th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $38,5921,172nd cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $27,0001,593rd lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $42,4881,488th highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $30,9691,715th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 48.9%1,196th highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 63.9%1,479th highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 50.5%276th most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- —
- Median ACT
- —
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 1,2531,227th largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 10.0:1427th smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 47.3%438th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 95 mi (BNA)
On 1 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 45 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $63,005 | — |
| Human Resources Management and ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $40,647 | — |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesLiberal Arts | bachelors | $19,227 | — |
| Biology, GeneralBiological Sciences | bachelors | $13,702 | — |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBusiness | bachelors | — | — |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | — | — |
| Applied MathematicsMathematics & Statistics | bachelors | — | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular BiologyBiological Sciences | bachelors | — | — |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | — | — |
| ChemistryPhysical Sciences | bachelors | — | — |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyPsychology | bachelors | — | — |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | — | — |
Campus facts
- A Historically Black College or University (HBCU)source
- Religious affiliation: Seventh Day Adventistssource
- Founded in 1896source
- Athletic nickname: "Ambassadors"source
- Mascot: The Ambassadorsource
- Motto: "Education, Excellence, Eternity"source
- Campus size: about 1,185 acressource
- Formerly known as "Oakwood Industrial School (1896–????)"source
- Formerly known as "Oakwood Manual Training School (????–1917)"source
- Formerly known as "Oakwood Junior College" (1917–1932)source
- Formerly known as "Oakwood College" (1932–2008)source
- Athletic conference: NAIAsource
- Notable alum: Davidosource
Athletics — 5 sports
NAIA Division I · NAIA
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $350,000 (M $150,000 · W $200,000)
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to Oakwood University’s 1,253 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In AL
Elsewhere
- Chatham UniversityPittsburgh, PA · 1,252 undergrads
- Lesley UniversityCambridge, MA · 1,252 undergrads
- Saint Martin's UniversityLacey, WA · 1,254 undergrads
- Manhattanville CollegePurchase, NY · 1,250 undergrads
- Midway UniversityMidway, KY · 1,250 undergrads
- EDP University of Puerto Rico Inc-San JuanSan Juan, PR · 1,258 undergrads
Key links
- Official websitewww2.oakwood.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 101912)
- Compare colleges in ALRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in AlabamaEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with Miles CollegeSide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: Oakwood University vs Miles CollegeHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 5 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.