Web Site: http://utulsa.edu/

Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma

Founded: 1894

Mascot: Golden Hurricanes

Number of Students: 4,597

Specialty: Petroleum Engineering

Situated in the middle of a bustling urban environment, the University of Tulsa (“TU”) is a midsized college, home to 4,597 students from all walks of life. The school was founded in 1894 by the Presbyterian Church and is regarded today as one of the premiere research colleges of the South.

TU has four undergraduate colleges: the Kendall College of Arts and Sciences, the Collins College of Business, the Colleges of Engineering and Natural Sciences, and the Oxley College of Health Sciences. These four colleges include 61 undergraduate programs offered at TU, the most popular being business, management, marketing, engineering, biological and biomedical sciences, visual and performing arts, and social sciences. The school is known especially for its courses in petroleum engineering. For those interested in a more rigorous course of study, a honors program is offered to high-achieving high school students.

Because of the university’s slightly smaller size, classes are kept to about 20 students. As a result, students develop closer bonds with their teachers and mentors. That medium size also means that the course you choose is more flexible than courses at larger universities. Undergraduate research is heavily stressed at TU and, being in a large city such as Tulsa, research opportunities are everywhere. If you can formulate an idea and a plan, there will probably be a professor at Tulsa who can help you achieve it.

When people think of the city of Tulsa, diversity is not necessarily the first thing to come to mind. But more than 1/4th of the student body is made up of international students. TU is also home to one of the first college campus mosques in the country. The university also has an active Greek life, which makes up about 21% of the male population on campus. Along with 200 student clubs and organizations, the TU Golden Hurricanes play in a Division 1 sports program.

Should You Apply?
If a mid-sized research college sounds like your kind of place, or if you just want a well-rounded environment where you can chart your own course, you should look into the University of Tulsa. TU is a university that can do it all and is one of the most diverse colleges in the Midwest. And hey, it isn’t too far from home either.