On the Hill Spring 2015

An OBU Degree: A Great Value

OBU Ranked Oklahoma’s Number One Private University in Affordability

OBU is one of three universities in Oklahoma and the only private Oklahoma university listed on Great Value College’s rankings of 50 Great Affordable Colleges in the Midwest.

The list is based on eight quality indicators determined by Great Value Colleges to be a good measure of a student’s potential experience at an institution. Equal points were awarded for beneficial features, such as low faculty-to-student ratios, high percentages of freshmen retention, high rates of graduation and numbers of student organizations. Colleges that did well in a recent Forbes’ ranking of top U.S. schools were given additional points.

Of the hundreds of accredited colleges and universities in the Midwest, only those with tuition and fees below the national average were considered for the rankings. No college on the list has an annual net price (the total cost of attendance minus the average aid package) over $22,000.

The rankings list the top 25 public and top 25 private colleges. OBU was the only private school in Oklahoma listed, with a net cost of $16,617. Oklahoma State University ranked 10th on the list of public institutions with a net price of $14,415 and the University of Oklahoma finished 19th with a net price of $16,780.

“Oftentimes, families assume an OBU education is out of reach for their pocketbooks,” said Bruce Perkins, associate vice president for enrollment management. “However, OBU’s place in the rankings demonstrates the affordability of attending our University even when compared to public universities within our state.”

OBU Named Top 10 in Lowest Debt Burden

OBU recently ranked seventh nationally on a list of “50 Christian Colleges with the Lowest Debt Burden.” In an article published on christianuniversitiesonline.org, an independent resource informing prospective students and their families about Christian education, editor Michael Templeton named OBU alongside other prominent Christian universities.

“This list attempts to present a ranking of Christian colleges and universities whose class of 2013 graduated with the lightest debt burden,” Templeton said in the article. “With this ranking, we want to highlight schools that are excelling in keeping the debt burden of their graduates as low as possible because we understand the long term impact that excessive student loan debt has on today’s graduates.”

The ranking was created via data points retrieved from U.S. News & World Report. The list focuses on two specific factors, the average amount of money each school’s graduating class of 2013 borrowed and the percent of graduating students who borrowed.

OBU ranked seventh nationally and was ranked higher than any other Christian university in the state with an average total indebtedness of $26,557 and a borrowing percentage of 61.8 percent.

OBU Offers Guaranteed Financial Award for All Incoming Freshmen

OBU is offering all incoming freshman a guaranteed financial award. This new initiative will guarantee all entering freshman, beginning fall 2015, a minimum financial award, making an already affordable OBU degree within reach for even more students.

Students and parents are encouraged to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) before making any decisions on affordability. The FAFSA must be completed before the University may show a student the full amount of financial award they are eligible to receive. Students who do not complete the FAFSA leave money on the table and make their college choice without seeing a true net price.

Currently, 97 percent of OBU students receive scholarship money, with 98 percent of those receiving at least $2,000. This initiative will guarantee 100 percent of students will receive a financial award. The financial award is renewable each year, as long as students meet the academic requirements. Visit okbu.edu/fafsa for information on completing the FAFSA and financial aid at OBU.