Student Success
Unmatched Value
With strong connections throughout the Oklahoma City metro, UCO provides unmatched value with tuition and fees, approximately 30% below Oklahoma flagship universities, while offering the same specialized accreditation programs in key areas of engineering, computer science, forensic science, business, public administration and more.
Specialized accreditation is a status that is granted by a professional organization to an academic program that meets standards of excellence after a comprehensive review of faculty, curriculum, learning spaces, resources and learning outcomes of students. The extensive reviews from the professional organization include various considerations such as the expectations of career/industry experts, requisite skills needed by graduates to be successful in the profession, and in some cases, licensure, or certification qualifications, if required by the profession/employer.
View the List of UCO Academic Accreditations
Eight national TRIO programs support low-income, first-generation, and/or students with disabilities pursuing STEM fields. More than any other higher education institution in Oklahoma.
Of all agencies and institutions nationwide, UCO is the only grantee that houses all eight national TRIO programs offered by the U.S. Department of Education and the only university in the nation to receive grants for all six iterations of the Student Support Services Program.
UCO Students are Economic Drivers
More than 91% of UCO’s students are residents of Oklahoma.
UCO is ranked No. 1 in the state and in the top 20% nationally for social mobility by CollegeNET and as the Best College in Oklahoma for Getting a Job after graduation by Zippia.
The social mobility index is an indicator of how effectively a university provides lower-income students access to an affordable, quality education that results in high-paying careers.
UCO Students Stay and are Employed in Oklahoma
Employed 1 year after graduation: Bachelor's: 88%, Master's 86%
Employed 5 years after graduation: Bachelor's: 83%, Master's 82%
Military Friendly School
UCO received national recognition in Victory Media's 2022-23 Military Friendly Schools list. Central was named a gold level Military Friendly School in the category of public universities with more than 10,000 students.
Military Times "Best for Vets"
UCO claimed a spot on the 2022 Military Times "Best for Vets: Colleges" list for the seventh consecutive year. It is only one of three Oklahoma institutions recognized.
