Oklahoma Baptist University is a Christian liberal arts university in Shawnee, 30 minutes east of Oklahoma City.
At OBU you will learn how all knowledge connects and how that framework can be informed by a thoughtful Christian worldview. You will have the choice of more than 80 areas of study, the opportunity to work and study abroad and the chance to engage faculty mentors.
All of this occurs in a supportive, Christian community; one that's dedicated to the highest intellectual and ethical standards.
Intellectual, social and spiritual growth ... this is what an OBU education is all about.
Quick Facts
Location
Shawnee, Oklahoma -- 35 miles east of Oklahoma City, 90 miles from Tulsa, and 200 miles from Dallas/Fort Worth
Founded
1910 by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma
Campus
Gold Campus: 226 acres, 46 buildings and facilities
Green Campus: 73.25 acres, 7 buildings
Areas of Study
Nine bachelor's degrees in 80 areas of study.
Four master’s degree programs are offered: Master of Business Administration, Master of Arts in Christian Studies, Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies, and Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy.
President
Dr. Heath A. Thomas is OBU’s president.
Enrollment
1,526 from 29 states and 12 countries
Faculty
84 full-time faculty members. All are active Christians.
Student to Faculty Ratio
15:1
2024-25 Tuition, Room, Board and Fees
Tuition $31,700 (Fall and Spring semesters combined, full-time student)
General Fees $3,870
Room and board $8,650 (Fall and Spring semesters combined)
Numerous scholarships are available making OBU's Average Net Cost very affordable.
Financial Aid
100 percent of OBU students receive some type of aid, which means no one pays full price. Every first-time, full-time freshman student receives at least $12,000 in scholarships and many are eligible for more.
Students who are eligible for Oklahoma's Promise are eligible to receive OBU's Bison Pact making OBU tuition and general fees completely free.
Governance
OBU is governed by a Board of Trustees comprised of ministers, business leaders and members of the various Baptist churches throughout Oklahoma. Each trustee serves a three-year term on the Board of Trustees.
Accreditation and OBU Memberships
View OBU's accreditation information and memberships.
Ministry Programs
OBU’s spiritual life permeates the campus through discipleship, worship and ministry activities. In addition, students can serve in missions through the University’s Avery T. Willis Center for Global Outreach.
OBU is a leading university in the number of alumni serving as missionaries with the International Mission Board.
National Recognition
OBU has been rated as one of the top regional colleges and universities in the West by U.S. News and World Report for 31 consecutive years and has been Oklahoma’s highest rated regional college in the U.S. News rankings for 29 of those years.
For 18 consecutive years, OBU has been named one of the best colleges and universities in the western United States by The Princeton Review. OBU was one of 126 institutions recommended in the “Best in the West” section on the educational research firm’s website.
OBU is one of three universities in Oklahoma and the only private Oklahoma university listed on Great Value College’s rankings of 50 Great Affordable Colleges in the Midwest.
OBU consistently is ranked in the Forbes.com listing of "America’s Best Colleges."
University Endowment
$140.2 million (May 2019).
Athletics
OBU’s Bison student athletes compete in 15 varsity sports, including football, men’s and women’s basketball, cross country, women's golf, track and field, women's soccer, baseball, softball, and women's volleyball.
OBU has a total of 33 National Championships: one for softball, one for men's tennis, one for women's tennis, two for baseball, two for men’s basketball, three for women's swimming and diving, four for men's swimming and diving, seven for men’s track and field, 12 for women’s track and field.
OBU was approved for NCAA Division II in 2017.
For more information about athletics at OBU, visit the OBU Athletics website.
Intramurals
Approximately 50 percent of students participate in over 30 intramural sports.
Mascot
Shaz the Bison
Alumni
OBU has nearly 30,000 alumni and former students, who reside in all 50 states and more than 50 other countries.
Library Services
The Mabee Learning Center's collections of more than 212,000 bound volumes, 310,000 microform holdings, and more than 11,000 items of music scores, recordings, and other media, are accessed by more than 185,000 visits each year. The Media Center provides access to technologies necessary for listening to the multiple formats in the library collection, as well as tablets, projectors, and online streaming.
Blue Zones Project
OBU was the first university in the state of Oklahoma and the first top 20 employer in Pottawatomie County to be named as an approved Blue Zones worksite.