Admissions FAQs

A breakdown of cost can be found on the Admission's website on the Tuition & Fees webpage.

You may apply for admission using the online application. The application deadline for the fall semester is August 1, spring is December 1, and summer is May 1. You are encouraged to apply early.

To be admitted to NSU as a freshman you must have:

• Maintained a four-year high school grade-point average of 2.7 or higher on a 4.0 grading scale and ranked scholastically among the upper 50% of your graduating class, or
• A 2.7 GPA in the 15 high school courses required for college entry, or
• Attained a composite score of 20 or higher on the ACT or a similar acceptable battery of tests. For transfer and adult requirements visit the Undergraduate Course Catalog. For graduate requirements please visit the Graduate Course Catalog.

To be admitted to NSU as a transfer you must have:

0-29 hours, a minimum of a 1.7 GPA, plus satisfy all freshman admission requirements
30+ hours, a minimum of a 2.0 GPA

You still have the opportunity to be admitted to NSU without test scores as part of our Test Optional Pilot Program. Students who have not taken the ACT/SAT must meet one of the following requirements to take part in the pilot:

• Maintained a four-year high school grade-point average of 2.7 or higher on a 4.0 grading scale and ranked scholastically among the upper 50% of your graduating class, or
• A 2.7 GPA in the 15 high school courses required for college entry, or
• Have taken an additional math or science course and passed with a C or better. 

Students who meet pilot requirements will be admitted as test optional pilot designated students. These students will be required to take placement tests and will have the opportunity to attend Summer Bridge, an academic jumpstart program seeking to improve placement test scores with the intent of placing participants into credit bearing courses.

Want to be admitted to NSU under this pilot program?
Please indicate that you want your application considered without test scores on your admissions application or email: admissions@nsuok.edu. If at any time you wish to change your mind about participating in the pilot or decide you want to participate after submitting your application, please email the admissions office immediately. Any changes to test optional pilot admissions status must be sent to the admissions office no later than the Monday before courses start (7 days before) for the semester the student wishes to enroll.

ACT/SAT scores are required for students to be considered for scholarships. If you have been admitted to NSU without ACT/SAT scores and wish to be considered for scholarships, you must submit ACT/SAT scores. To do so, you can either take the National ACT/SAT and send the scores directly to the Office of Admissions and Recruitment, or you can schedule a time to take the residual ACT on campus through Testing Services.

Incoming students who do not meet our regular admissions requirements will be asked to complete our supplemental application to be admitted. The supplemental application consists of several short answer questions and requires two recommendation forms. Once the completed supplemental application and recommendation forms are received, they are sent to our Alternative Admissions committee for a decision. You should be notified of your admissions decision within two weeks of the receipt of your documents.

We have a $25 non-refundable application fee. You can apply online.

An adult student is defined as a first time college student that is 21 years of age or older. If you are 23 years of age or older, we do not require an ACT test score at the time of admission. However, you might be asked to take some tests for placement purposes, but they're not for admission purposes. The first thing you need to do is apply to NSU.

Some students perform better when they attend a community college before coming to NSU. When a student's test scores, high school GPA, class rank or current college GPA do not meet our admissions requirements, we recommend students take courses at a community college first. This enables students to do the following:

• Establish a college GPA by attending a community college in order to be admissible at NSU, OR
• Bring current college GPA up in order to be admissible at NSU.

Students that don't meet our incoming freshmen requirements are encouraged to earn 24 hours of college credit before reapplying. Students that do not meet our transfer or returning requirements are encouraged to bring their current college GPA up to a 2.0 before reapplying. 

As soon as you have been accepted to NSU and have received your user name and password, you may complete an application for Housing. The application is available online, through the Housing Portal. There is no application fee or housing deposit. Early application is suggested. For more information, please contact Housing & Residence Life.

While there is no preference given to optometry applicants with NSU degrees, it certainly doesn't hurt. Attending NSU for your undergraduate studies will allow you to become familiar with the Tahlequah campus and, more importantly, the Optometry admissions staff and the Optometry faculty.

"You can receive information about our graduate programs by contacting Brianna Cook at 918-444-2223 at the Tahlequah campus or Stephanie Bargas at 918-449-6123 at the Broken Arrow campus. You may also visit the Graduate College website."

You can contact a University Representative by calling the Admissions and Recruitment Office at 918-444-4675.

RiverHawk Ambassadors in the Office of Admissions and Recruitment provide tours Monday-Friday on the Tahlequah campus. This is a great way to see the campus and ask any unanswered questions you may have. Please call 918-444-4675 to schedule a tour or visit our Tour page to for more information. If you can't make it to campus, you can even take a virtual tour from the comfort of your own home.