OU moves up in academic rankings

[Pete]

In the just-released US News rankings, OU went from 125 last year to 122. OSU went from 182 to 185. Tulsa is 195.

I know lots of people will crap on these rankings but this is an interesting view with the new conference alignments which kick in next fall. It's worth nothing that for all the Big 10 propaganda about academics, they are basically in a dead heat with the ACC.

[FighttheGoodFight]

I do wish OU could become an AAU school

[chssooner]

I do wish OU could become an AAU school

Is there something within OU stopping them? Or is it just another state issue?

[HangryHippo]

Arizona State is an AAU school? Who knew…

EDIT: Several surprising schools appear to be AAU.

[jdross1982]

Is there something within OU stopping them? Or is it just another state issue?

Their medical school is located in OKC and not on campus. If they were ever able to build a teaching hospital on the LNC site and have "some" of their medical school on campus, I think it would allow them to join the AAU.

[chssooner]

Their medical school is located in OKC and not on campus. If they were ever able to build a teaching hospital on the LNC site and have "some" of their medical school on campus, I think it would allow them to join the AAU.

Then I am mot too concerned. A technicality is the main reason they can't. They have so much indebted in OKC, that moving to Norman would be fiscally irresponsible, and almost fiscal suicide for the president who does it.

[BoulderSooner]

Their medical school is located in OKC and not on campus. If they were ever able to build a teaching hospital on the LNC site and have "some" of their medical school on campus, I think it would allow them to join the AAU.

IIRC this is the biggest reason Nebraska lost AAU status ...

you can have AAU with out that but what changed was research dollars for off campus med schools don't count for AAU requirements .. (this is why NEB lost AAU)

[Swake]

In the just-released US News rankings, OU went from 125 last year to 122. OSU went from 182 to 185. Tulsa is 195.

I know lots of people will crap on these rankings but this is an interesting view with the new conference alignments which kick in next fall. It's worth nothing that for all the Big 10 propaganda about academics, they are basically in a dead heat with the ACC.

Interesting, but you did leave Notre Dame off of the ACC list.

[BoulderSooner]

ND brings the ACC average to 52.88888888

BIG is 52.833333333333333

[Pete]

Interesting, but you did leave Notre Dame off of the ACC list.

Because they are independent in football.

[jdross1982]

Then I am mot too concerned. A technicality is the main reason they can't. They have so much indebted in OKC, that moving to Norman would be fiscally irresponsible, and almost fiscal suicide for the president who does it.

Agreed, it won't happen in the next 10 years for sure. Beyond that, will have to see. My comment was not to move anything from OKC but to expand the college by having a presence on campus.

[Crocodile Tears]

Pretty wild that the SEC only had 2 AAU schools before gaining 3 from the big 12. The original Big 12 had 7 AAU Universities.
The Big 8 had 5.

[BG918]

I feel like TU used to always be in the Top 100 ahead of OU and OSU, and OU/OSU were just outside the Top 100. Did they change the way they do these rankings?

[Pete]

I feel like TU used to always be in the Top 100 ahead of OU and OSU, and OU/OSU were just outside the Top 100. Did they change the way they do these rankings?

OU moved past them a few years ago and then Tulsa took a bid drop. Not sure why.

[BG918]

OU moved past them a few years ago and then Tulsa took a bid drop. Not sure why.

They were as high as #87 in 2017 and had been in the Top 100 for 15 consecutive years. Then when US News changed their ranking methodology they tumbled, I’d be interested to know why. Evidently other private universities had similar outcomes https://www.washingtonpost.com/educa...ology-changes/

[Crocodile Tears]

They were as high as #87 in 2017 and had been in the Top 100 for 15 consecutive years. Then when US News changed their ranking methodology they tumbled, I’d be interested to know why. Evidently other private universities had similar outcomes https://www.washingtonpost.com/educa...ology-changes/

I believe US news adjusted their rankings to give more weight to factors including how well schools graduated economically disadvantaged students, First generation graduation rates, Pell Graduation rates, and student debt. They also dropped other criteria such as class size, alumni giving rate, and high school class standing I can see how the new criteria would drop a lot of smaller private institutions down the list.

[shavethewhales]

OU moved past them a few years ago and then Tulsa took a bid drop. Not sure why.

UTulsa has had a bunch of upheaval in recent years. They cut a ton of courses/degrees and "simplified" things, with huge pushback from faculty and alumni. The university apparently hasn't been doing that well financially. They are having concerts and events on their campus now to raise money for things, such as the recent Motley Crue etc concert in the football stadium.

[Pete]

Tulsa is also down to an undergraduate enrollment of only 2,647 according to their website.

That's smaller than a lot of high schools and is the smallest university with an FBS football program. For reference, OCU has 1,361 undergrads.

That enrollment figure is down from 3,269 in 2019, a decline of 19% in just four years.


This fall OU set a new record for incoming freshmen (5,100) breaking the number set just a year ago. Enrollment in Norman is about 50% larger than when I was there in the early 80s.

[gopokes88]

IIRC this is the biggest reason Nebraska lost AAU status ...

you can have AAU with out that but what changed was research dollars for off campus med schools don't count for AAU requirements .. (this is why NEB lost AAU)

It's also why Iowa State "left" the AAU

[BG918]

Tulsa is also down to an undergraduate enrollment of only 2,647 according to their website.

That's smaller than a lot of high schools and is the smallest university with an FBS football program. For reference, OCU has 1,361 undergrads.

That enrollment figure is down from 3,269 in 2019, a decline of 19% in just four years.


This fall OU set a new record for incoming freshmen (5,100) breaking the number set just a year ago. Enrollment in Norman is about 50% larger than when I was there in the early 80s.

TU typically hovers around 4k undergraduate and grad students. ORU is around 5k students. I was at a function with their new president Brad Carson and he said they want to have 6k students (4k undergrad and 2k grad) within 5 years. I'd love to see them be more similar in size to TCU and SMU (10k students).

[Pete]

^

That's a great goal for Tulsa but they are nowhere near that and have been heading in the opposite direction for some time.

Carson has already been on the job for over 2 years.

[warreng88]

Tulsa is also down to an undergraduate enrollment of only 2,647 according to their website.

That's smaller than a lot of high schools and is the smallest university with an FBS football program. For reference, OCU has 1,361 undergrads.

That enrollment figure is down from 3,269 in 2019, a decline of 19% in just four years.


This fall OU set a new record for incoming freshmen (5,100) breaking the number set just a year ago. Enrollment in Norman is about 50% larger than when I was there in the early 80s.

For comparison Broken Arrow High School graduates 1,100-1,200 students per year.

[Jake]

TU typically hovers around 4k undergraduate and grad students. ORU is around 5k students. I was at a function with their new president Brad Carson and he said they want to have 6k students (4k undergrad and 2k grad) within 5 years. I'd love to see them be more similar in size to TCU and SMU (10k students).

Feel like ORU has a lot of momentum recently and has grown while Tulsa has languished a bit. Hope they can turn things around.