OSU-Tulsa opens doors to first- and second-year students

OSU-Tulsa opens doors to first- and second-year students

Monday, November 17, 2025

Media Contact: Aaron Campbell | Communications Coordinator | 918-899-4960 | [email protected]

OSU's downtown Tulsa campus will offer four-year undergraduate degrees starting January 2026

Oklahoma State University-Tulsa will welcome freshman and sophomore students for the first time in campus history with a strategic expansion of class offerings, beginning spring 2026.

OSU-Tulsa will add numerous lower-division classes in the upcoming spring semester across its undergraduate majors, with numbers expected to grow each semester in response to student and workforce needs.

The passage of Senate Bill 701 allows campuses that had previously been restricted from offering 1000- and 2000-level courses to do so beginning Nov. 1, 2025. This unlocks the ability to earn a full OSU bachelor's degree in Tulsa, providing access and flexibility for students who want to stay close to work, family or other commitments.

"I'm grateful to the Legislature and Gov. Stitt for enacting Senate Bill 701," OSU President Jim Hess said. "Until now, Tulsa was the largest city in America without a freestanding four-year, one-experience public institution. Senate Bill 701 gives Tulsa the opportunity to solve that problem, and I'm looking forward to OSU playing a significant role in being the solution."

For students living in the Tulsa area, the expansion makes it possible to begin and complete a bachelor's degree at OSU's downtown campus in the historic Greenwood District, connecting their learning directly to Tulsa's workforce opportunities and community.

It also creates a complete pre-medicine pathway connected to the OSU Center for Health Sciences, which is ranked No. 1 in the nation for the percentage of graduates practicing in health care professional shortage areas by "U.S. News & World Report," and to OSU Medicine's expanding network of residency programs. Together, these give students the opportunity for a full OSU medical school experience - from their first undergraduate college class through advanced professional training - in Tulsa.

"This expansion reflects OSU's commitment to meeting students where they are and preparing them to serve where they're needed most," OSU-Tulsa and OSU Center for Health Sciences President Johnny Stephens said. "Whether it's future engineers, accountants or physicians, we're building pathways that connect education directly to the needs of northeastern Oklahoma and continuing to build what we proudly call 'Orange Country.'"

With the OSU System enrolling nearly 37,000 students this fall - including the largest freshman class in university history - OSU's expansion in Tulsa comes at a pivotal time. It marks the fourth consecutive year of growth in Stillwater's freshman class and continued momentum across OSU's undergraduate, graduate and professional programs.

OSU-Tulsa has also reached its highest enrollment to date, with its accounting program more than doubling in size and engineering growing by more than 30% over the past two years. To support this growth, the campus has upgraded labs and added new student study and collaboration areas. The recently opened Main Hall 1300 Wing serves as a hub for hands-on learning in engineering and related disciplines and hosts applied technology courses taught by the OSU Institute of Technology.

Amid record enrollment systemwide, offering full degree pathways in Tulsa aligns with OSU's land-grant mission to serve students in every part of the state. Dr. Hess said OSU-Tulsa has long been a leader in serving returning adults and transfer students and will bring that same excellence and student-first focus to freshmen beginning their OSU experience in Tulsa.

"For 25 years, OSU-Tulsa has been known as the place to finish your bachelor's degree," Hess said. "For the first time, students will be able to start here, too."