College · Private nonprofit · Surprise, AZ · Suburb
Ottawa University-Surprise
Surprise, AZ
Hispanic-servingReligious affiliation
Admit rate78%
6-yr median pay$49k
Net price / yr$33k
Undergrad size836
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $33k/yr for a shot at a $49k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.
Getting in
Admit rate of 78% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 972 · ACT 19.
If you get in
836 undergrads. Tiny. Every professor will know your name.
Where you live
Suburban — a short drive to the nearest city, greener but still connected.
§ II · Cost & aid
Sticker vs. real.
Sticker cost of attendance is $52k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $33k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$209k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$134k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$75k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback2.7x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $35.9k
- Room & board
- $16.5k
- Books & supplies
- $1,300
How students pay for it.
Pell grants40%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans73%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$22k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $10k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes
Do people finish? Do they land?
1-yr retention47%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr18%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$49k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$56k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity
Setting, size, and who this school is.
- Setting
- Suburb
- Control
- Private nonprofit
- Undergrad size
- 836
- Location
- Surprise, AZ
- Region
- Southwest (AZ, NM, OK, TX)
- Carnegie class
- Baccalaureate Colleges: Diverse Fields
- Size & setting
- Four-year · very small · highly residential
- Undergrad program
- Four-year · full-time, inclusive, higher transfer-in
- Accreditor
- Higher Learning Commission
- Also known as
- OUAZ-Surprise
Identity
Hispanic-servingReligious affiliation
§ · Who studies here
The student body at a glance.
- White36%
- Hispanic35%
- Black13%
- Two or more races7%
- International5%
- American Indian / Alaska Native3%
- Asian2%
- Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander1%
First-gen students40%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time7%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Veterans1%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$37k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 18
What you can study.