NSU enrollment grows for fourth consecutive year as more students choose to invest in their future

Freshman enrollment increases 30%; overall enrollment rises nearly 5%

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — More students are choosing Northeastern State University this fall, continuing a four-year trend of enrollment growth and marking the university’s eighth consecutive semester of increased overall enrollment.

Fall 2026 enrollment increased 4.8% compared with fall 2025, while freshman enrollment grew 30% year over year. NSU also welcomed more than 800 freshmen this fall.

Among the notable enrollment increases were an 2% gain at NSU’s historic Tahlequah campus and a 19.2% increase at NSU-Broken Arrow, and students transferring to NSU increased by 5%.

Fall 2026 marks the first fall semester since SB701 was signed into law allowing NSU-Broken Arrow to expand its course offerings, creating a full four-year educational experience in Broken Arrow. In addition to the expansion at the Broken Arrow campus, NSU’s growth has been bolstered by new athletic teams and academic programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

These incredible enrollment figures represent students and families who are making decisions about where to pursue a quality education that will prepare them for a career that will grow with them.

“We know students and families are thinking carefully about the value of a college education and what that investment means for their future,” NSU President Rodney Hanley said. “Our continued enrollment growth tells us that students see value in how NSU prepares them for not only their first job, but for leadership, career advancement and community engagement.”

NSU continues to expand how and where students can access an education and connect what they learn to the needs of their communities and careers though partnerships with workforce and tribal entities. Advanced degrees, certificates and micro-credentials provide working professionals with opportunities to build new skills and advance their careers.

The result is an education that can meet students at different points in their journey, from preparing for a first career to building new skills for the next one. Students apply what they learn through immersive, relevant experiences that prepare them to contribute and lead with confidence from day one.

“Northeastern State University began with a belief that education has value,” Hanley said. “An education can transform an individual, but its impact reaches far beyond one person. It can change the trajectory of a family, strengthen a workforce and help communities grow.”

For more than a century, NSU has evolved alongside the people and communities it serves, grounded in the belief that education has value and can create opportunity. That belief continues to shape an education that prepares students to contribute to the communities and workforce of Oklahoma and beyond.

To find out more about attending NSU, visit https://apply.nsuok.edu/.

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