This spring, seniors from area high schools will graduate and take their first baby steps of adult life. Students from Oklahoma Bible Academy, Chisholm High School, and Enid High School will enlist in the United States military, they will get first jobs, and like thousands before them, they will pursue their goals, change their minds, explore careers, and in general, figure out where and how they want to do life.

Of course, many young people will pursue higher education, often at great distance and expense. Lengthy travel and a six-figure college fund aren’t necessary, though, because one of the great things about Enid is that you don’t have to hike to Edmond or Stillwater for a college education or advanced career training. In fact, Enid is home to some of the best educational values to be found anywhere, so if you don’t know already, keep reading—you may be pleasantly surprised!

Nestled on the eastern outskirts of town is the small but mighty Northern Oklahoma College-Enid campus. Along with sister campuses in Tonkawa and Stillwater, NOC is a two-year institution whose mission is to provide “life changing” career and educational opportunities for students close to home. Established in 1999, NOC Enid supports over 1,000 students each year in the pursuit of education. NOC offers the full spectrum of first and second year college coursework, and students can earn an Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, or Associate in Applied Science.

One remarkable aspect of NOC is that although it is small, it has three campus dorms, thereby offering young people the opportunity to get the traditional college experience without the traditional college costs. Dorm life is just one element of the overall value that NOC represents. Perhaps Dr. Jeremy Hise put it best during our recent interview. In his role as Vice President of NOC Enid, he spends a lot of time in the community talking up the value of NOC Enid, but it was really brought home to him when, years ago, he was exploring the University of Oklahoma campus with his son. “It’s an amazing place, but I asked him, how do you think they pay for all this? This is some really nice stuff. How do they pay for that? It’s not free,” recalled Hise. Taking nothing away from the beautiful campus in Norman, the fact is when Enid families sit down and evaluate their options, they have to consider all the factors. “$30,000 a year compared to $8,000 from Northern…it’s the most affordable education that you can get, and your return on investment is going to be strong,” Hise continued.

A short walk or drive down the road, NWOSU is also part of a multi-campus system. The main campus is located in Alva and another branch is in Woodward. The Enid campus consists of a large building and the Fowler Early Childhood Center, and like NOC, it offers much more than one might guess at first glance. At Northwestern, students can pursue a wide range of degrees: bachelor’s, master’s, and one doctoral degree are all available. The campus has especially strong support for those who wish to pursue careers in healthcare and the social sciences. There are excellent clinical lab facilities for nursing students, and students can pursue a Doctor of Nursing Practice. Social work faculty make use of a unique virtual reality lab where, according to a video on the Northwestern website, students can “immerse themselves into real life scenarios before they go into the practicum.” Other graduate programs include master’s degrees in the fields of education, the social sciences, and American studies. Courses are offered in-person, online, and through ITV (television) so that students can take classes that are offered at the Alva or Woodward campuses. The building also includes plenty of space for students to relax, eat, or even exercise (there is a wellness room, which features cardio and weight equipment).

NOC Enid and Northwestern share not just roads but also close-knit academic bonds. One of the highlights of their relationship is the Bridge Program. Begun in 2007, the Bridge Program provides a smooth on-ramp from NOC to Northwestern. Dr. Wayne McMillin, Dean of NWOSU Enid, described it as “helping students by providing them a connection to both campuses…It’s a way of making a seamless transition and thinking about it as one sort of pathway rather than two different, distinct things.” Students may apply to the Bridge Program when they are applying to NOC as a freshman or during their tenure as NOC students (at any point prior to receiving their associate’s degree).

Participants in the Bridge Program enjoy many benefits. Among them are ease of transfer to Northwestern, special scholarships offered to Bridge students, and access to all student services at both NOC Enid and Northwestern. In addition, Bridge students may enroll in classes offered at each of the three NOC campuses and each of the three NWOSU campuses. For example, this would give a Bridge student access to classes being offered via ITV at the Enid building. Such classes might come from the Alva or Woodward campuses; either way, it opens up a significant menu of coursework to the dedicated Bridge student.

The Enid campuses of NOC and Northwestern are both relatively small. NOC serves less than 2,000 students per year, while Northwestern typically enrolls around 250 students. Far from being a detriment, though, their small size gives them an incredible advantage that simply cannot be replicated at a large university: the people. Everyone interviewed for this article emphasized the personal nature of these campuses. Community spirit is baked into daily life at both NOC and Northwestern, and that translates into better service for students on both a personal and professional level.

Christy Davidson and Georginia Herrera serve on the frontline at Northwestern. They staff the main desk, which is a student’s first stop for information about applying, financial aid, registering for classes, and figuring out where the heck their class is located. “Anytime anybody has questions, we just love to help them—get enrolled, help them find an advisor, help them find a classroom…help them eat lunch,” said Christy, recounting how the two of them recently helped a nursing student find a bowl with which to eat his lunch. “It’s like a family, it’s friendly, and it’s fun to help them!”

Crystal Smith, who works as a student’s support specialist at NOC, helps students with the nuts and bolts of attending college—registration, transcripts, and connecting with advisors. Beyond helping students ace the minutiae of college paperwork, though, Crystal really enjoys connecting with them as people. “It’s a community…and they just want to come and visit and just get a better rapport. Instead of feeling like a number, we want them to leave feeling like a person and that they’re important,” said Crystal. She loves that they can connect with students and ask things like, “Hey, how did that biology test go? And you know, just make it a little bit more personable.”

Another common theme was a clear message to anyone thinking about either starting or returning to college but who was flummoxed by the FAFSA or suspecting that scholarships are only for high school seniors. To these people, there was essentially one message: “Come talk to us.” The basic idea is that there is a lot of help out there, from scholarships and grants to hands-on assistance with financial aid forms. According to Samantha Gray, who works in the scholarships department at NOC Tonkawa, “A lot of students just don’t realize that…there’s over 200 scholarships. All you do is fill out one form, and it’ll put you in the ones you qualify for. It’s all online!” The sentiment was strongly echoed by Dr. Hise, who said, “There’s a large number of people that assume ‘I’m not going to qualify’ or ‘I don’t have strong enough academic records’…don’t make that assumption. Come talk to Patty in financial aid about what opportunities we have!”

Both NOC and Northwestern are especially welcoming of adults who are returning to school after being in the workforce. “There are a lot of resources available to help a student that’s returning to college and maybe isn’t really comfortable in that role,” explained Dr. Hise. “We have scholarships opportunities for them, too…let us help you find out what you qualify for.”

At Northwestern, the returning adult or just-starting-out adult will be in good company. Much of the student population already “has families and things like that,” said Dr. McMillin. “We have easy accessibility…we offer classes morning, afternoon, and evening. And there’s online options.” In addition, prospective returners who have earned at least 72 credit hours and meet several other qualifications may be eligible for Reach Higher, a special Oklahoma degree completion program that is available at Northwestern.

Across town, another beloved institution also offers incomparable value to local working adults and high school students alike. Autry Technology Center, located on Willow Road, is one of Oklahoma’s 29 technology centers, which are located on 62 campuses throughout the state. Together they provide “high school and adult learners with specialized career training in more than 90 instructional areas.” Autry punches far above its weight class, offering an almost-bewildering array of programs and classes to meet the demands of regional employers in a variety of career fields.

For high school students, Autry has agreements with 11 partner schools, including Chisholm and Enid high schools. Through a unique program structure, high school students may enroll in almost any of the fields offered and attend classes at Autry for half a day, while spending the other half of the day at their high school. Tuition is covered, making the program an excellent value to the young person. According to Shelby Cottrill, Director of Marketing at Autry, “Autry Technology Center programs allow high school students to earn elective credits toward graduation with the new graduation requirements starting with the 8^th grade class of 2025, more programs will count as math and/or science credits.” In addition, credits earned at Autry can transfer to NOC, although Shelby cautioned that “It’s essential for students to consult with an NOC career advisor to understand how their specific Autry Tech program credits will transfer.”

Autry is popular with Enid residents and employers alike. In a typical year, Shelby says that Autry will serve between 700 and 800 students in its regular programs, most of which require two years to complete. Many thousands more are served through Autry’s robust Workforce and Economic Development departments. Shelby wrote that “the majority of our programs have waitlists due to strong interest and limited capacity. Recently, we’ve had the most interest in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, Cosmetology, and Welding, but that changes from year to year.” Those who are interested are always encouraged to apply, though, because “you never know when a spot might open up!”

Area residents have options, and they are good ones. NOC has been evaluated by multiple independent organizations as offering “a high-quality education and a great return on investment,” according to Dr. Hise. And Northwestern is fully accredited by the Higher Education Commission, with individual programs (e.g. nursing) having specialized accreditation according to those fields.

So perhaps you are an adult with some college credit and would like to see about finishing that degree. Maybe you have been working for years and would like to explore a fresh career path. Or—just maybe—you are a recent high school graduate who wants to attend college but just can’t to commit to the thousands of dollars required for Norman or Stillwater.

Whatever the circumstances of your individual situation, Enid’s got you covered.