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Admission Criteria for First-Time Entering Freshmen 2012

Thank you for your interest in the University of Oklahoma! We encourage all interested students to apply to the University.  The Admissions Committee considers commitment, determination and leadership as indicators of a successful student. Your responses to questions within the application will assist the Committee in determining your potential for success at OU. Please feel free to submit additional documentation or media which demonstrate your desire and ability to be successful at The University of Oklahoma.  This may include a resume, general portfolio of achievements, video, or other submission that would convey your creativity and propensity for success at the University. All applications will be reviewed by our Admissions Committee.

You are a first-time entering freshman if you:

  • Graduated from an accredited high school or have received a GED or are home-schooled, and your high school class will have graduated by the time you plan to enter OU.
  • Have completed fewer than seven semester hours of college-level work after graduating from high school.

If you are an international student, your admission requirements are the same as for domestic freshmen and transfer students; however, there are other steps and deadlines involved that you will find in the International Student Admission information.

Application Deadlines

We begin making admission decisions as early as September 1 for the following spring and fall semesters.

Applications must be RECEIVED in the Office of Admissions by the dates below. A $40 non-refundable application fee is required of all applicants.

April 1 -- fall semester or summer session

November 1 -- spring semester

Admission Criteria

RESIDENT
Unweighted cumulative
grade point average
of at least a 3.00
(on a 4.00 scale)
and
Rank in the top 25%
of your high school
graduating class

ORACT score of at least 24/SAT score of at least 1090
and
Unweighted cumulative grade point average of at least a 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale)
OR
ACT score of at least 24/SAT score of at least 1090
and
Rank in the top 50% of your high school graduating class
NON-RESIDENT
Unweighted cumulative
grade point average
of at least a 3.50
(on a 4.00 scale)
and
Rank in the top 25%
of your high school graduating class

ORACT score of at least 26/SAT score of at least 1170
and
Unweighted cumulative
grade point average
of at least a 3.00
(on a 4.00 scale)
OR
ACT score of at least 26/SAT score of at least 1170
and
Rank in the top 50%
of your high school graduating class
  • Home-educated applicants, GED recipients, and graduates from unaccredited high schools must qualify for admission based on criteria described in column 2 above.
  • OU does not consider the ACT/SAT writing section in our review of applicants.
High School Curricular Core Requirements for First-time Freshman
4 units of English
taken from grammar, composition and literature only

3 units of college prep math (4 recommended)
Taken from algebra I, algebra II, geometry, trigonometry, math analysis, calculus, or Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics

3 units of laboratory science
(does not include general science, with or without a lab) one year of principles of technology may substitute for one of the lab science courses, provided that the student also completes a traditional lab science course		3 units of history and citizenship
to include one unit of American history and two additional units from the subjects of history, economics, geography, government, non-western culture

2 additional units
from any of the subjects previously listed or computer science or foreign language. Two years of the same foreign language will satisfy the University's foreign language general education requirement. Any AP course not already used to satisfy the curricular units mentioned previously may be used to satisfy the two additional units except AP courses in Studio Art or International English

Coursework in music, art, drama or speech is also recommended.

Wait List 

Our admission requirements serve two purposes. First, we admit only the number of students that OU has the capacity to teach and serve effectively. Second, the standards ensure that the students we admit are prepared to excel in our highly competitive academic environment. Applicants who do not meet the criteria listed above may be placed on the wait list and notified of their status. Although we believe that students on the wait list have the potential to be successful at OU, we must consider many factors before making a decision on their admission. Applicants on the wait list will be admitted on a space available basis, with preference given to the most academically qualified applicants in the pool. After monitoring our enrollment projections closely, we will notify wait-listed students as soon as possible when admission decisions are made. We understand that the "wait" may be difficult for many students and their parents. We make every effort to finalize our wait list decisions by May. The best opportunity for any of our wait-listed applicants to gain admission is to increase their GPA, class rank and test scores.

Applicants who are placed on the wait list will be required to notify the Office of Admissions of their desire to remain on the wait list or withdraw their application from further consideration.

All students on the wait list are strongly encouraged to make alternate plans, which may include transferring to the University of Oklahoma for a future semester. Students may transfer to OU after taking 24 non-remedial semester hours at another accredited college or university and achieving the required grade point average listed in Transferring to the University of Oklahoma.

The University of Oklahoma, with the approval of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, may alter admission requirements at any time, when it is in the best interest of the University and our students to do so.