2025 College Rankings

In recent years, the University of Tulsa has made a concerted effort to improve its commitment to free speech, and those efforts are starting to bear fruit. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) recently awarded the school a “green” speech code rating, indicating that its policies do not restrict speech. That upgrade followed numerous policy revisions, and the shift is beginning to register with students: 36 percent tell FIRE that they believe it “extremely” or “very” clear that TU’s administration protects free expression. The school has adopted the Chicago Principles, which affirm the importance of free speech on campus.

The administration would do well to extend that commitment by eliminating its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) bureaucracy. Currently, TU maintains a small DEI staff—about 1.5 employees per 1,000 students—and none of its faculty job postings requires a DEI statement.

Faculty at the University of Tulsa tend to be ideologically diverse. According to FIRE, students place their professors, on average, at “moderate” on an ideological scale. Faculty campaign donations in the 2023–24 election cycle were relatively balanced—at least compared with most other schools—with 64 percent going to liberal or Democratic causes and 32 percent to conservative or Republican ones. Still, only a negligible number of faculty belong to organizations that promote free inquiry on campus.

Students at TU are generally ideologically diverse and politically tolerant. There are 2.4 liberal students for every conservative, and the number of liberal and conservative student political groups is evenly matched. Most students report feeling comfortable expressing themselves, whether in class, in conversations with professors, or among peers. That comfort extends to social media, a sign of a healthy speech climate. TU ranks 12th out of 100 on our student free speech index. Still, about 40 percent tell FIRE that they have censored themselves at least once in the past month.

The curriculum at the University of Tulsa performs poorly on our metrics. The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) gives the school a D in its What Will They Learn? ratings, which assign letter grades based on how many of seven core subjects are required in the core curriculum or general education program. The university’s Honors College offers some hope for the future. Open to students regardless of major, it aims to provide a strong foundation in the Great Books tradition. However, the university has recently “restructured” the Honors College, and its future is uncertain.

TU is generally a decent investment for its graduates. On average, it takes about 4.4 years to recoup the cost of the education, well above our overall benchmark of 2.3 years. Retention and six-year graduation rates do meet expectations, based on SAT scores and Pell Grant data. Median earnings ten years after enrollment exceed predictions, based on the data, by over $11,000.