Oklahoma's higher education network teaches students and trains them to become valuable contributors to the state's changing economy. According to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, more than half of the state's 100 critical occupations will require a college degree by 2030.
This page profiles accredited online colleges in Oklahoma. Our list emphasizes quality, affordable institutions. It draws on data from authoritative government sources, such as the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
You can use this guide to research schools and programs that match your learning goals and career aspirations. You can also find information on financing, tuition discounts and scholarship programs for Oklahoma students.
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Overview of Online Colleges in Oklahoma
A Brief Overview of Higher Education in Oklahoma
In Oklahoma, 46 institutions offer postsecondary degrees, according to NCES data from the 2021-22 school year. Of those institutions — which include accredited online colleges in Oklahoma — 30 are public schools, 14 are private nonprofit institutions, and two are for-profit schools. The state's higher education institutions provide valuable services for 183,768 students as of 2021.[dataviz-stats public="30" non-profit="14" for-profit="2"]Tuition rates in Oklahoma vary by institution. According to NCES data from the 2021-22 school year, the average in-state tuition at Oklahoma public four-year institutions paid an average in-state tuition rate of $8,291, while out-of-state tuition averaged $22,125. Four-year private schools charged an average tuition of $30,175. Two-year institutions were the most affordable, charging in-state learners an average of $4,288. Out-of-state students at two-year schools paid an average tuition of $9,413.In the 2023-24 school year, Oklahoma's flagship public university, the University of Oklahoma, charged full-time in-state students a combined tuition and fees rate of $4,797. Full-time out-of-state learners paid $13,332. Some online colleges in Oklahoma may charge reduced or in-state tuition for all learners regardless of their state residency.Oklahoma college students pay for their degrees through a variety of funding sources, including financial aid like scholarships and grants. For example, the Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant provided $14.5 million in need-based grants to undergraduates during the 2021-22 academic year. Overall, Oklahoma learners received over $106 million in grants for the 2021-22 school year.
Higher Education in Oklahoma
The State of Online Higher Education in Oklahoma
According to NCES data from 2022, 24% of college students in Oklahoma were enrolled exclusively in online coursework, while an additional 29.6% took at least one online class. Collectively, this represents the majority of learners in the state participating in distance education.Online higher education serves over 80,000 Oklahoma students, according to a 2019 Distance Education State Almanac. In Oklahoma, 82,508 students took at least one online course, which equals 42.8% of the total student body. Most online students enrolled as undergraduates: 71,910 undergraduate students versus 10,500 graduate students.In addition, roughly 28,000 students completed all their college courses online, representing approximately 21,000 undergraduates and 7,500 graduate students. Over 75% of the fully online students live in Oklahoma, with the rest enrolling from outside of Oklahoma.[dataviz-nces online="14.8" undergrad="42.8" in-state="78.1"]
Best Online Colleges in Oklahoma
Below, we rank Oklahoma's best online four-year programs. Our list considers how schools approach accredited online education, including their services for distance students and their popular fully online degrees. After reviewing the best online schools in Oklahoma, explore our other state-specific resources, like a database of every college and university in Oklahoma or our index of popular in-state scholarships.
Ranking Methodology
To determine the best online colleges in each state, we examined the factors most important to prospective students: Academic quality and reputation, online program strength, and cost and student aid. At the most basic level, we use the following formula to determine the best online colleges: Academic Quality + Online Offerings + Cost and Student Aid = Final Score. Of course, there's more to these calculations than meets the eye. Visit our methodology page to discover the data points that shape our formula and to learn more about the process we use to rank schools.
College Graduate Outlook in Oklahoma
Tuition Breaks for Out-of-State Students
Oklahoma participates in the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB)'s interstate tuition reciprocity compact. This compact, the Academic Common Market (ACM), includes 15 member states in the southern U.S. and operates tuition reciprocity initiatives for undergraduate and graduate programs in specialized programs. The ACM covers more than 2,200 undergraduate and graduate programs.Learners from other states can pursue a variety of degrees in Oklahoma with ACM reduced tuition at institutions like the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, and the University of Central Oklahoma.
Job Opportunities in Oklahoma for College Graduates
Projections Central data projects jobs like nurse practitioner, physical therapist assistant, speech language pathologist, financial examiner, and market research analyst — all careers which require college education — will experience faster-than-average growth from 2020 to 2030. 2023 BLS data also reveals these jobs each pay higher-than-average wages.In general, careers in fields like business, healthcare, and engineering can offer positive returns on investment for Oklahoma college graduates.