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Intro Sections

OCU Admissions:
Welcome to Oakland City University!

Mighty Oaks go on to do great things.

What awaits you at OCU?

OCU Undergraduates:
Discover Your Purpose and Go Forth

Become a Mighty Oak.

It starts with long-term Career Pathways planning and small class sizes where you’re seen and heard. Pretty soon, you feel like you’re part of a family that really cares about your success. You get all the support you need to step into your future with confidence.

That’s how Mighty Oaks are made here at Oakland City University.

Career Pathways

At OCU, you’ll start preparing for a meaningful career uniquely suited to your gifts from day one. That’s thanks to our Career Pathways program. Through our Center for Calling and Career, our counselors will work closely with you to discover who you are, who you’re called to be, and connect you with all the help and resources you could ever need to prepare for that future.

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Learning Among Family

You won’t find a learning environment that feels more like family than Oakland City University.

Serving with Distinction

With a Christian worldview, OCU will help you connect your career goals with your call to service.

Non-traditional Students

Many undergraduate programs are offered to adult learners. Some are fully online, others are offered at convenient Learning Centers off the main campus. Learn more about earning or completing your degree with OCU’s Adult and Professional Studies programs.

Campus Life

Whether you’re hanging out with friends at The Underground, playing basketball at the Tichenor Center, going to Mighty Oaks athletic events, attending huge concerts like Soul Fest, watching outdoor movies on the grassy knoll, or getting active in student government, OCU’s beautiful campus is always bustling with activity!

At Oakland City University, everything we do is designed to prepare you for a successful career and a fulfilling life.

From intensive advising through our Career Pathways program and support through the Center for Calling and Career to a consistently biblical worldview, OCU is deeply committed to training up and sending out servant-leaders to do great things.

Student Services

To further ensure your success as a Mighty Oak, OCU also provides a number of support services.

Faith and Service

Oakland City University is affiliated with the General Baptist Church. As we welcome students from a diversity of faith backgrounds, our Christian worldview guides our mission to help you become an effective leader capable of contributing to a better world.

Join our Family

What awaits you here at OCU? A life-changing opportunity to become all you’re called to be, as part of a family that can’t wait to see what God has in store for you!

Families give each other a hand up.

OCU is ranked #5 in the Midwest for social mobility. This is a safe, welcoming environment where first-generation college students feel right at home and anyone can succeed.

Strong families work hard and play hard together.

From our 30+ student organizations to 13 competitive NAIA athletic teams, students here have more ways to connect than you might expect from a university of under 900 full-time students.

In a family, you’re known.

Each faculty member, one for every 12 students, is passionate about forming relationships with each student to help ensure your long-term success in your career and calling.

Affording OCU

Tuition at OCU is far more affordable than you think! The high-value education you will receive as a Mighty Oak is within reach through financial aid, which 100% of our students utilize every year.

Online and Satellite

OCU offers select undergraduate and graduate-level programs online and at off-campus learning centers. Online courses include Christian studies, criminal justice and early childhood education, and business courses are offered at satellite locations.

Test-Optional

If your GPA is above our general acceptance minimum, you can choose not to submit SAT or ACT scores when applying to OCU. As a test-optional institution, we consider other criteria equally important as standardized test scores, sometimes more so.

Disability Assistance

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act/Section 504, we make every effort to provide reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities.

Career Services

OCU’s Center for Calling and Career provides intensive Career Pathways counseling, coaching and career development opportunities to help you answer your call to service.

Counseling Services

Our trained and experienced therapists, holding Master of Social Work degrees, provide mental health counseling to help you through difficult times.

Explore your calling with Career Pathways.

We are committed to helping you discover your unique gifts and talents, and connecting them to specific opportunities to serve a world in need. It’s called Career Pathways.

Engage in dynamic service-learning opportunities and spiritual life.

Discover exciting ways you can serve on and off campus through your academic interests, tap into spiritual support, and prepare for a life of service to something greater than yourself.

 Undergraduate Studies

Whatever you feel called to do with your life, OCU will help you get there starting day one. Not sure what that is yet? No problem. We welcome you like family and work closely with you to connect your unique gifts with academic programs. Whether you come from a collegiate family or you’re the first to make this journey, we’ll help you become everything you’re meant to be!

Graduate Studies

Looking to earn an advanced degree in education, business or religious studies? This may not be day one of your career development, but it may feel like it as you begin this next chapter. Get all the support you need to go as far as you’re called to go with OCU. Graduate programs.

To ensure your success, the OCU Center for Calling and Career provides:

  • College Entrance Counseling
  • Success Community Support
  • Ongoing Career Counseling
  • Academic Support
  • Spiritual Support

Leaders aren’t born. They are grown.

OCU’s academic programs are designed to help you grow into a true Mighty Oak, a leader in your chosen field. Through our Center for Calling and Career, we provide intensive student support to help you reach your goals.

The desire to grow is the acorn in you. It’s time to plant it and grow as Mighty as you’re called to be.

Latest Article

OCU Welcomes Largest Class in 16 Years

OCU Welcomes Largest Class in 16 Years

Oakland City, IN - Wednesday, September 14, 2022) – According to data released by Oakland City University, its Fall 2022 incoming class of undergraduate students is the largest in 16 years. Enrollment ballooned to 189 new students, an increase in overall undergraduate...

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Oakland City University Ranked #7 Nationally

Oakland City University Ranked #7 Nationally

(Oakland City, IN - Monday, September 12, 2022) – Today, U.S. News and World Report’s 2022 – 2023 Best Colleges rankings have ranked Oakland City University as the seventh best University in the nation for Social Mobility. Oakland City University was reclassified...

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What Path Will You Take?

Oakland city university
by the numbers

What makes OCU special at a glance

What Kind of Leader Do You Want to Be?

How Far Do You Want to Go?

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Take the Next Step

Are you Ready to become a Mighty Oak?

Not quite ready to apply?

Learn more about OCU.

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Access to Quality Education

OCU is deeply committed to giving students a hand-up, supporting them financially and academically as they pursue fulfilling careers and purposeful lives.

In the Midwest for Social Mobility

%

First-Generation College Students

Most Affordable Undergraduate Program in Indiana

%

of Students Receive Financial Aid

in Aid Awarded in 2019

Fertile Environment for Growth & Opportunity

From small class sizes and personalized instruction to numerous degree programs and student organizations, we nurture our Mighty Oaks and expect great outcomes.

Student to Faculty Ratio

%

Student Athlete Success Rate

Student Organizations and Clubs

Career-Focused Concentrations

Thriving Alumni Worldwide

Diverse Student Body

OCU’s strategic plan includes a commitment to valuing and promoting diversity, and our efforts are bearing fruit.

International Students

%

Diverse Student Population

%

Female

%

Male

Beautiful, Safe Christian Campus

Few Christian college campuses in the state match OCU for both the expansiveness of its green spaces and high security, overseen by Oakland City’s former chief of police.

Among the 10 Safest Colleges in Indiana

(CollegeSnacks)

7,000 Sq. Ft. of Green Space Per Student on Campus

1 and Only General Baptist University

2019 Averages

GPA: 3.0
SAT SCORE: 975
ACT SCORE: 22

Fast Facts

From small class sizes and personalized instruction to numerous degree programs and student organizations, we nurture our Mighty Oaks and expect great outcomes.

Career-Focused Concentrations

Student Organizations and Clubs

Student to Faculty Ratio

In the Midwest for Social Mobility

%

Student Athlete Success

%

Diverse Student Population

As a Mighty Oak, you’ll thrive wherever
you’re called to grow.

Art & Sciences

Channel your passion for communications, psychology, criminal justice, creative technologies, applied mathematics and sciences and more into your choice of service-oriented careers.

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Business

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Education

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Religious Studies

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University Studies

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Business +

Do you have an entrepreneurial spirit? The gift of people leadership? An analytical mind? Master the skills necessary to take on your passion area in business administration.

Learn More +

Criminal Justice +

How do you feel called to serve the cause of justice? Discover the science of forensic investigations, the tactics of law enforcement, or corrections management.

Learn More +

It’s hard to leave your country, your family and friends for a while… but whenever I am at OCU it is like I am part of another family with my friends and teammates.

Adolfo Rivas

Men's Soccer / Criminal Justice, Class of 2022

The nurturing educational environment that I experienced at OCU helped prepare me not just academically but also spiritually and emotionally! God always prepares a way, we just need to be faithful servants, willing to be used for His Glory! I am blessed to serve Him and have a bonus in getting to do so on a beautiful island.

Amanda Dunn

Saipan, Class of 2005, BS US History Concentration, Minor Biology

The nurturing educational environment that I experienced at OCU helped prepare me not just academically but also spiritually and emotionally! God always prepares a way, we just need to be faithful servants, willing to be used for His Glory! I am blessed to serve Him and have a bonus in getting to do so on a beautiful island.

Amanda Dunn

Saipan, Class of 2005, BS US History Concentration, Minor Biology

It’s hard to leave your country, your family and friends for a while… but whenever I am at OCU it is like I am part of another family with my friends and teammates.

Adolfo Rivas

Men's Soccer / Criminal Justice, Class of 2022