University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO) vs Sam Houston State University (SHSU)

When it comes to higher education, University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO) and Sam Houston State University (SHSU) stand out as two distinct institutions with unique offerings. USAO, a public liberal arts university in Chickasha, Oklahoma, boasts a small, close-knit community with an acceptance rate of 98% and a focus on undergraduate education. On the other hand, SHSU, a public research university in Huntsville, Texas, offers a wider range of academic programs, including graduate degrees, and has a more diverse student body with an acceptance rate of 75%. While both universities provide quality education, their differences in size, location, and academic focus may influence your college decision. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover more about these universities' acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and other key factors that can help you make an informed choice.

	Sam Houston State University	University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma
Overview
Location	Huntsville, Texas	Chickasha, Oklahoma
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Trimester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	73.0%	54.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	96.6%	63.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	$40
SAT range	950 - 1120	N/A
ACT range	18 - 23	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	57.0%
Students submitting ACT score	16.0%
Total number of applicants	11,556	1,078
Total number of admissions given out	11,161	684
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,908	247
Yield rate	26.1%	36.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $24,612 Out of state: $34,404	In state: $20,580 Out of state: $31,440
Average net price	$14,287	$9,573
Tuition	In state: $5,856 Out of state: $15,648	In state: $6,390 Out of state: $17,250
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,918 Meal plan: $4,650	Room/dormitory: $3,170 Meal plan: $3,400
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	70.0% Average amount $9,492	93.0% Average amount $10,998
Students receiving federal student loan	52.0% Average amount $5,618	42.0% Average amount $5,221
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $14,496	4.0% Average amount $9,182

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	18,288 Men 36.2% Women 63.8%	849 Men 35.8% Women 64.2%
Graduate students	3,324 Men 31.7% Women 68.3%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	1.4%	N/A
International students	1.3%	9.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	3,398	536
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Texas Florida California Arkansas Illinois	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Health Professions Agriculture Communication and Journalism	Visual & Performing Arts Business Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	20:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	57.3%	38.7%
Dropout rate	16.2%	34.3%
Transferred out	23.6%	26.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $73,554 Year 2: $68,858 Year 3: $76,776 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $68,691 Year 2: $74,953 Year 3: $76,058 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,097 Year 2: $69,740 Year 3: $73,214 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,694 Year 2: $66,049 Year 3: $72,403 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,377 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $67,947 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,438 Year 2: $60,128 Year 3: $67,313 Music (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,381 Year 2: $57,705 Year 3: $65,080 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,710 Year 2: $68,666 Year 3: $62,801 Agricultural Mechanization (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,352 Year 2: $49,436 Year 3: $59,631 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,213 Year 2: $56,579 Year 3: $57,976	Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,104 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,657 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,777 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,642 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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