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Parents FAQs

Can my student afford to attend Southeastern?

As a public university, our costs are surprisingly affordable. For fall 2005 in–state students pay only $1,402.20 for 12 credit hours; while out–of–state students pay just $3,330.60. Estimate $1,500 for room and board, plus $400 for books, and you have a total that keeps Southeastern competitive. It pays to shop around of course, but you won’t find a better value anywhere. Keep in mind that we work with every student to ensure that they can tap into a host of financial aid options.

Can my student qualify for Financial Aid?

Most students need a little help paying for their education. In fact, nearly 75 percent of Southeastern students receive some sort of aid-whether a scholarship, federal grant, student loan or a combination of all three.

Last year, Southeastern awarded $6.5 million in grants to students. Another $1.5 million was distributed through scholarship programs, and Southeastern students earned $1.2 million in work study dollars. In total, Southeastern provided its students nearly $15 million in financial assistance programs.

The key to securing financial aid is to apply as early as possible. Our Guide to Financial Aid and Scholarships is available online, or the Office of Admissions and Recruitment Services will be happy to mail you a copy.

Southeastern uses the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the awarding of institutional funds. ( You can download the FAFSA from the Web at www.fafsa.ed.gov, or you can obtain a copy from your student’s high school.) We’ll mail a notification letter soon after we make an offer of admission.

Your son or daughter may qualify for one or more of the following options:

Grants – Federal Pell Grant; Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant; Federal Supplemental Educational opportunity Grant
Loans – Federal Perkins Loan; Federal Stafford Student Loan
Scholarships – a wide variety of need and merit based scholarships, some offered by the university itself, others by individual departments; five scholarships are available for students in our Honors Program.

Many scholarships are also awarded via the Southeastern Foundation’s generous private funding; these are also described in the Guide to Scholarships. Applications are available online.
Tuition waivers – Nonresidents of Oklahoma may take advantage of nonresident tuition waivers. First-time student (U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens) receive a 100 percent nonresident tuition waiver for their first semester. They may continue to renew their waivers based on academic performance.

Will my student get lost in a sea of faces in class?

With 4,100 students, Southeastern is a small school guided by a big vision. We work with each and every student to tap promise and develop potential. Our student-faculty ratio of 19:1 means that your student will connect with professors and will have every opportunity to ask questions, brainstorm and, if necessary, get help.

Will Graduate Assistants teach my student?

We got our start as a teacher–training college in 1909, so we know the importance of inspired and dedicated teaching. Our professors, all respected experts in their fields, mix classroom instruction with hands–on learning. Your student will test new knowledge and develop skills in labs, field assignments and internships. Count on this: Professors not graduate assistants will know your student by name. They’ll know if he or she needs a little extra help, and they’ll go out of their way to see that it’s available.

What services are there to help my student succeed academically?

The first year on any college campus can be intimidating. At Southeastern, we make sure students get off to a solid start. Our Academic Advising and Outreach Center serves as information central. An advisor helps each student:

Choose courses and a major to match goals and talents.
Decide upon a realistic course load that accommodates work, study and play, while ensuring that graduation occurs on time.
Identify the best ways to address special challenges – everything from a learning disability to a gap in skills.
Find the right clubs and organizations to complement interests.

During your student’s first semester, our advisors also conduct a grade check to identify anyone who needs help. Through tutoring and special non–credit classes, we help students brush up on their fundamentals — everything from math to composition — and prepare for the challenges ahead. Visit the Web site of the Freshmen Programs to learn more: www.se.edu/advisingcenter/.

What if my student does not know what to major in?

It’s not uncommon for first–and second–year college students to be undecided about their major. And that’s fine with us. After all, an education is supposed to open doors – not only to offices and employment opportunities but also to new ideas and possibilities.

As a freshman, your students will work with an advisor to find a major that matches interests and talents. An advisor can help your student measure aptitude and uncover new options. Our advising staff and faculty will show your student how to put that knack for problem solving to work in management career or how to use those people skills in a service industry.

Of course, it helps to have choices. Southeastern students select from 53 majors offered by three academic divisions: the School of Arts and s, the School of Business and the School of Education and Behavioral s.

How will Southeastern prepare my student for the world of jobs and careers?

In all our programs, students get the foundations they need and the chance to learn by doing.

Occupational safety and health majors like Michael Earthman of Sawyer, Oklahoma, spend the day at busy Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, simulating an emergency evacuation of a burning plane.

Aspiring teachers like Jamie Thompson of Heavner, Oklahoma, take a subject that fascinates them and learn how to share their passion. “My theme was volcanoes. I was supposed to incorporate volcanoes into every subject matter: math, reading, etc. We had to explore how we’d teach this to every student–gifted, challenged, everyone.”

Communication majors like Chris Bradley meet the movers and shakers in the fields. Bradley accompanied a faculty member to a National Association of Broadcasters convention in Los Angeles, where he made professional contacts that may help him fulfill his dream of owning his own radio station.

Is there any help with job search?

Whether your student wants to join the workforce or go on to graduate school, a Southeastern degree gets results.

That’s because we connect our students with opportunity. The Office of Career and Placement Services, helps students get their resumes and credentials before employers. Thanks to a computerized database, our students can schedule job interviews online and email their resumes to potential employers. And students bound for graduate school find that our faculty are happy to supply the recommendations and contacts necessary for admission.

Job hunters make a point of attending Southeastern’s annual career fair, which introduces students to dozens of top–notch employers who are ready to hire–everyone from the U.S. State Department and major corporations to local businesses. In addition, we host special teacher placement day every spring. In fact, when school teacher placement day every spring. In fact, when school districts in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Oklahoma face teacher shortages, they turn to us for quality graduates.

Some of our graduates never need to look for jobs. The jobs find them-even before ink dries on their diplomas. The Department of Occupational Safety & Health, for example, places nearly 100 percent of its graduates every semester. The average starting salary for safety majors is $40,000. Majors in computer science and technology are also in demand. Even before they finish their last semester, 80 percent have landed high-paying jobs. By graduation, nearly 100 percent are employed.

How successful are your graduates?

Southeastern students are employed by American Airlines, Office Depot, Tyson Foods, Toyota, Sherwin Williams Co., U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Marshals Service. Plus, school districts, police departments, hospitals and government agencies throughout the Southwest.

Southeastern students pursue further study in their chosen fields. And our students have a higher percentage of acceptance and into medical school than any other Oklahoma institution.

Will my student fit in, make friends, and be safe?

Ours is a welcoming campus, a home away from home for students from all over the country, region and state. Unlike many public universities, Southeastern is small, so it’s easy to make friends and get to know professors. And with more than 70 organizations active on campus, it’s easy to find people with common interests.

Because we’re small, professors and advisors get to know your student well. That means they know when something is wrong or when a simple act of friendship is in order. It’s not uncommon for professors to take students to lunch or check on them when they miss a class. And our campus reinforces the feeling of community. All the residence halls and major classroom buildings are within a short walk of one another. Stroll across campus and you’ll meet smiling people who take pride in being part of the Southeastern family.

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