Oklahoma's two flagship research universities, OU and OSU, are both test-optional for fall 2027 applicants and let students choose per-application whether scores count toward admission and scholarships, while the state's regional public universities (UCO, NSU, SWOSU) use a minimum floor (roughly a 20 ACT, 3.0 GPA, or 1030 SAT, any one of the three) rather than a true SAT requirement. Published score ranges describe a cohort; they are not admission cutoffs.
The table covers 8 colleges Oklahoma families apply to most, from the most selective to the large public universities. Read each cohort note before comparing numbers. The bottom rows show the score-based money Oklahoma families can earn: Oklahoma State Regents' Rising Scholars Award (OSRHE, formerly Academic Scholars Program) and OSU Academic Excellence Award (in-state, university-funded grid).
| School | SAT profile / cohort | ACT | Acceptance rate | Testing, fall 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Tulsa | Not published | 24-33 | 58% | Test-optional for the 2026-2027 admission cycle (scores may still be requested for a case-by-case decision on some programs) |
| University of Oklahoma | 1160-1310 · enrolled, fall 2025 (2025-26 CDS) | 23-28 | 77.6% · fall 2025 (2025-26 CDS) | Test-optional (students choose whether scores are considered for admission and scholarships) |
| Oklahoma State University | 1060-1250 · enrolled, fall 2025 (2025-26 CDS) | 20-27 | 73.7% · fall 2025 (2025-26 CDS) | Test-optional (recommended, not required) |
| Oklahoma City University | Not published | 21-27 | 77.0% | Test-optional; no minimum ACT/SAT required and OCU no longer requires entrance exams at all for incoming first-year students |
| Oklahoma Christian University | Not published | 19-26 | Not reported | Test-optional (ACT, CLT, or SAT not required for on-campus undergraduate admission) |
| University of Central Oklahoma | Not published | 19-24 | Not reported | Minimum admission standard: ACT composite of 20, OR high school GPA of 3.0, OR a 1030 combined SAT (Evidence-Based Reading and Writing + Math) |
| Northeastern State University | Not published | 17-23 | 99.4% | Minimum admission standard: 4-year GPA of 2.70+, OR ACT composite of 20+ (or equivalent SAT) |
| Southwestern Oklahoma State University | Not published | 17-23 | 100% | See school |
| Oklahoma State Regents' Rising Scholars Award (OSRHE, formerly Academic Scholars Program) | 1560 (SAT Reading+Math sum) or ACT sum score of 103 across English/Math/Reading, the 99.5th percentile for Oklahoma residents | See program rules | Up to $124,850 at OU; up to $124,400 at OSU over 4-5 years over 4 years | A combination of a state-funded cash award (up to $24,000/yr at OSU) plus a tuition waiver, renewable with a 3.25+ GPA and full-time enrollment; students must be certified as Rising Scholars by the Oklahoma State Regents |
| OSU Academic Excellence Award (in-state, university-funded grid) | Tiered from 1160-1600 (or 24-36 ACT), crossed with GPA bands from 3.0 to 4.0 | See program rules | $4,000 to $12,000 over four years over 4 years | A sliding cash award, e.g. $3,000/yr for a 32-36 ACT (or 1420-1600 SAT) with a 3.5+ GPA, down to $1,000/yr for GPA-only qualification with no test score; cannot be combined with other OSU university-assured scholarships |
Cohort notes: Tulsa: . Test policy confirmed directly from Tulsa's own 2026-27 undergraduate bulletin. OU: Pulled directly from OU's 2025-26 CDS Section C: 29,195 applied, 22,660 admitted (77.6%), 6,229 enrolled. OU superscores both the SAT and ACT; a student who applies test-optional and is denied may submit scores and appeal. OSU: Corrected to OSU's own CDS Table C9 published SAT Composite line (1060-1250, 25th-75th), not a sum of the EBRW and Math section bands, which would overstate the range. 28,024 applied, 20,646 admitted (73.7%). ACT composite 25th-75th is 20-27. OCU: SAT/ACT range sourced from College Board's BigFuture profile, not OCU's own data. UCO: UCO's published figure is an admission-eligibility floor (20 ACT / 1030 SAT / 3.0 GPA, any one of the three), not a middle-50% admitted range; that distinction should be made clear on the page. NSU: An access-oriented regional public; ACT range sourced from College Board's BigFuture profile. and get a cohort year. These are not interchangeable measures.
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Find my teen's target scoreTulsa does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. It admitted 58% (latest cycle). The matching ACT range is 24-33. Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional for the 2026-2027 admission cycle (scores may still be requested for a case-by-case decision on some programs). . Test policy confirmed directly from Tulsa's own 2026-27 undergraduate bulletin.
OU reports a 1160 to 1310 middle 50% SAT (enrolled, fall 2025 (2025-26 CDS)). It admitted 77.6% of 29,195 applicants (fall 2025 (2025-26 CDS)). The matching ACT range is 23-28. Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional (students choose whether scores are considered for admission and scholarships). Pulled directly from OU's 2025-26 CDS Section C: 29,195 applied, 22,660 admitted (77.6%), 6,229 enrolled. OU superscores both the SAT and ACT; a student who applies test-optional and is denied may submit scores and appeal.
OSU reports a 1060 to 1250 middle 50% SAT (enrolled, fall 2025 (2025-26 CDS)). It admitted 73.7% of 28,024 applicants (fall 2025 (2025-26 CDS)). The matching ACT range is 20-27. Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional (recommended, not required). Corrected to OSU's own CDS Table C9 published SAT Composite line (1060-1250, 25th-75th), not a sum of the EBRW and Math section bands, which would overstate the range. 28,024 applied, 20,646 admitted (73.7%). ACT composite 25th-75th is 20-27.
OCU does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. It admitted 77.0% (latest cycle). The matching ACT range is 21-27. Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional; no minimum ACT/SAT required and OCU no longer requires entrance exams at all for incoming first-year students. SAT/ACT range sourced from College Board's BigFuture profile, not OCU's own data.
Oklahoma Christian does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. The matching ACT range is 19-26. Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional (ACT, CLT, or SAT not required for on-campus undergraduate admission).
UCO does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. The matching ACT range is 19-24. Testing for fall 2027: Minimum admission standard: ACT composite of 20, OR high school GPA of 3.0, OR a 1030 combined SAT (Evidence-Based Reading and Writing + Math). UCO's published figure is an admission-eligibility floor (20 ACT / 1030 SAT / 3.0 GPA, any one of the three), not a middle-50% admitted range; that distinction should be made clear on the page.
NSU does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. It admitted 99.4% (latest cycle). The matching ACT range is 17-23. Testing for fall 2027: Minimum admission standard: 4-year GPA of 2.70+, OR ACT composite of 20+ (or equivalent SAT). An access-oriented regional public; ACT range sourced from College Board's BigFuture profile. and get a cohort year.
SWOSU does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. It admitted 100% (latest cycle). The matching ACT range is 17-23.
Oklahoma runs a real statewide SAT/ACT-cutoff scholarship, the Oklahoma State Regents' Rising Scholars Award (for the state's top 0.5% of test-takers), and on top of that both OU and OSU publish their own university-level scholarship grids with explicit SAT/ACT score tiers.
Oklahoma State Regents' Rising Scholars Award (OSRHE, formerly Academic Scholars Program): 1560 (SAT Reading+Math sum) or ACT sum score of 103 across English/Math/Reading, the 99.5th percentile for Oklahoma residents. A combination of a state-funded cash award (up to $24,000/yr at OSU) plus a tuition waiver, renewable with a 3.25+ GPA and full-time enrollment; students must be certified as Rising Scholars by the Oklahoma State Regents.
OSU Academic Excellence Award (in-state, university-funded grid): Tiered from 1160-1600 (or 24-36 ACT), crossed with GPA bands from 3.0 to 4.0. A sliding cash award, e.g. $3,000/yr for a 32-36 ACT (or 1420-1600 SAT) with a 3.5+ GPA, down to $1,000/yr for GPA-only qualification with no test score; cannot be combined with other OSU university-assured scholarships.
OSU uses the highest cumulative GPA (converted to a 4.0 scale) from the official high school transcript, and ACT scores are computed without the essay using ACT's Enhanced superscore; university-assured scholarships at OSU cannot be stacked with each other. The Rising Scholars award requires a 3.25 GPA, full-time enrollment, and 24 credit hours per year to renew.
Tulsa, OU, OSU and Oklahoma Christian are test optional for fall 2027, so many families assume the score is irrelevant. The ranges above come from the students who chose to send one, and they sit well above the overall class. OCU still require a score. And Oklahoma State Regents' Rising Scholars Award (OSRHE, formerly Academic Scholars Program) and OSU Academic Excellence Award (in-state, university-funded grid) are awarded on the SAT or ACT whatever the admissions policy.
You need an SAT Reading+Math sum of 1560 or higher (or an ACT sum score of 103 across English, Math, and Reading), which is the 99.5th percentile for Oklahoma residents. That single cutoff unlocks a tuition waiver plus a multi-year cash award worth over $120,000 combined at OU or OSU.
No. Both the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University are test-optional, so applicants choose whether a score counts toward admission. A score still matters for money though: OU requires a test score on file for its top state-nominated scholarships, and OSU's Academic Excellence and Achievement awards are built entirely around SAT/ACT tiers.
Yes. Oklahoma requires every 11th grader to take the ACT as part of the state's required testing program, administered at no cost through local schools.
Among OU's admitted students in the 2025-26 cycle who submitted scores, the middle-50% SAT was 1160 to 1310. OU is test-optional, so that range describes typical submitted scores, not a hard cutoff.
Oklahoma leans ACT because the state gives every 11th grader a free, required ACT. The SAT counts exactly the same for admission and for Oklahoma's Rising Scholars cutoff (1560 SAT sum is the equivalent of a 103 ACT sum), so a student can use either test.
No. A middle 50% describes the central half of the reported group, not an admission cutoff. Some rows describe enrolled students or score submitters only, as labeled. A position within a range does not guarantee admission or merit aid.
University and state sources: Tulsa, OU, OSU, OCU, Oklahoma Christian, UCO, NSU, SWOSU, Oklahoma State Regents' Rising Scholars Award (OSRHE, formerly Academic Scholars Program), OSU Academic Excellence Award (in-state, university-funded grid). Reviewed October 9, 2026. Cohorts and entry terms differ; confirm current requirements with each admissions office.
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