Data released by the University of Oklahoma show that most of this year’s freshmen students are not from Oklahoma.

According to the freshman class profile posted for those entering college in fall 2026 at OU, 49 percent are Oklahoma residents, with the remainder coming from other states or countries.

That marks the third year in a row in which most entering OU freshmen have been from other states or countries.

OU’s increased reliance on out-of-state and international students has provided financial benefit to the university, according to prior data released by the school.

At a November 2024 presentation to the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents, first reported by online news site NonDoc, OU officials reported that net tuition revenue per freshman had increased, in part, because of the increase in “the nonresident portion of first-time freshmen.”

Out-of-state students typically pay higher tuition rates than do in-state students.

A discussion of enrollment trends from Fall 2015 to Fall 2024 at that meeting bluntly noted, “Undergraduate growth over the periods presented has been driven by growth in nonresident enrollment.” The document also noted that first-time freshmen growth from 2015 to 2024 “has been driven by nonresident enrollment.”

During a budget hearing conducted prior to the start of the 2026 legislative session, Sean Burrage, chancellor and chief executive officer for Oklahoma’s state system of higher education, told lawmakers that Oklahoma benefits from importing students from other states.

“We’re importing talent and growing our workforce with individuals who choose to stay and build their lives in Oklahoma,” Burrage said. “No other state entity, private or public, can say they are importing workforce at this rate or at this scale.”

OU officials have described the school’s increased reliance on out-of-state students as part of a strategy to meet Gov. Kevin Stitt’s challenge to educate 40,000 college students by 2030.

However, data released by the state regents show most out-of-state students leave Oklahoma shortly after graduation.

According to the “2025 Employment Outcomes” report released by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, just 29.5 percent of non-resident students who obtain bachelor’s degrees at Oklahoma colleges and universities are employed in Oklahoma one year after graduation, meaning 70.5 percent of those out-of-state and international students leave the state within a year of graduation.

Only 23.8 percent of non-resident graduates are employed in Oklahoma five years after graduation, and only 19.5 percent are employed in Oklahoma after 10 years.

In contrast, 86.5 percent of Oklahoma natives who graduate from Oklahoma universities are employed in the state within a year of graduation. Five years after graduation, 78.5 percent of Oklahoma natives are still working in Oklahoma, as are 71.7 percent within a decade after graduation.

A similar pattern is notable in the highest-demand degree areas.

The Regents’ employment report found that only 36 percent of non-resident students with STEM degrees are employed in Oklahoma one year after graduation, compared to 83.8 percent of Oklahoma resident students. Among non-resident students with degrees in “critical occupations,” only 32 percent are employed one year after graduation, while 87.7 percent of resident Oklahoma students are employed in-state one year after graduation.

The Regents report notes that graduates are considered non-residents if their original residence is listed as a state other than Oklahoma on their admission application.

The report indicates that college officials do not expect most out-of-state students to remain employed in Oklahoma after graduating.

“As expected,” the report stated, “employment rates for non-resident graduates are lower than those for both the overall graduate population and Oklahoma resident graduates.”