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Downtown StillwaterPhoto: Fletcherspears · CC BY-SA 3.0
Colleges in and near Stillwater

Stillwater is a college town: 38 of every 100 residents are students

Oklahoma State University (22,642 students on campus) is inside the city. Across Oklahoma, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town38% of residents are studentsOklahoma State University

From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Stillwater. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
1
22,642 students on campus
Nearest college
0.6 mi
Oklahoma State
Residents in college
38%
Above OK (6%)
Nearest community college
39.8 mi
Northern Oklahoma College · $5,083 tuition
Nearest public university
0.6 mi
Oklahoma State · $10,234 in-state
Students on campus in Stillwater
22,642
next to 50,046 residents

What stands out about college in Stillwater

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college town38 of every 100 Stillwater residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oklahoma.A university in StillwaterOklahoma State University has 22,642 students on campus in Stillwater, 68% of whom graduate within six years.In-state price at Oklahoma StateLiving in Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University charges $10,234 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $25,754. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.A community college 39.8 miles awayNorthern Oklahoma College in Tonkawa: tuition and fees $5,083 a year for Oklahoma residents.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Stillwater

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

38 of every 100 Stillwater residents are in college (OK: 6).

22,642students on campus at Oklahoma State University, next to 50,046 residents (dorm students count as residents)
10,390college students live in Stillwater households rather than dorms
23.9median age · OK 37.0
63%of homes rented · OK 34%
$947median rent · 7% below the state
StillwaterStillwater, OK
Cost of living$947/mo median rentDSafetyCrime reported to the FBIC+HealthCDC estimatesBJobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundCHandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Stillwater’s other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income C

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 27.2% of Stillwater residents are below the poverty line, 14.9% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 4 points either way). 62% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living D

The Cost grade leaves out the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent wherever students are a quarter of residents or more (38% here): it would mostly measure student incomes.

Health B

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Stillwater’s median age is 23.9 (Oklahoma 37.0), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety C+

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Stillwater

It is public. Every other college is more than 15 miles from Stillwater.

5 mi10 mi15 miOklahoma StateStillwater
University or collegeCommunity college
Oklahoma State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · 22,642 on campus · In Stillwater75%admitted$17knet price68%graduate$57kearnings

Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at $30–48k, where Stillwater’s median household income ($43,700) falls.

Oklahoma State UniversityIn Stillwater · sticker $28,290$12,314a year

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Stillwater: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State University68% graduate$57k earnings$20k typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.

Majors

What students study in Stillwater

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field at Oklahoma State University, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Business 26%Agriculture 10%Engineering 10%Biology 7%Psychology 6%Liberal arts 5%Everything else 35%

Biggest programs

Business Administration, Management and Operations381 graduates a year
$64k4 yrs out
Marketing337 graduates a year
$63k4 yrs out
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities272 graduates a year
$52k4 yrs out
Psychology, General252 graduates a year
$51k4 yrs out
Animal Sciences221 graduates a year
$54k4 yrs out
Mechanical Engineering211 graduates a year
$89k4 yrs out
Finance and Financial Management Services168 graduates a year
$81k4 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences, General153 graduates a year
$86k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in Stillwater

Is Stillwater a college town?

Yes. 38 of every 100 Stillwater residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across Oklahoma. Oklahoma State University has 22,642 students on campus, next to 50,046 residents.

What colleges are in Stillwater?

Oklahoma State University is inside the city. Northern Oklahoma College is 39.8 miles away in Tonkawa.

Why is Stillwater’s poverty rate so high?

Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 27.2% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 14.9% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 4 points).

What is the closest community college to Stillwater, and what does it cost?

Northern Oklahoma College in Tonkawa, 39.8 miles away. Tuition and fees are $5,083 a year for Oklahoma residents; the federal net price, $5,625, counts housing and food at full cost.

How hard is it to get into Oklahoma State University?

Oklahoma State University admitted 75% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year; the middle half of admitted students scored 1,040–1,250 on the SAT.

Neighbors talk college

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

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Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Stillwater. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →