[5] Tahlequah is home to the capital of the Cherokee Nation and about 25 percent of the students at NSU identify themselves as American Indian.

[6] The university has many courses focused on Native American linguistics, and offers Cherokee language Education as a major.

[6] In the 1950s Northeastern emerged as a comprehensive state college, broadening its curriculum at the baccalaureate level to encompass liberal arts subjects and adding a fifth-year program designed to prepare master teachers for elementary and secondary schools.

In 1979, NSU opened its College of Optometry, making it one of 14 schools in the United States to offer a doctorate degree in that field.

[12] There is also a distance-learning program, by which students who cannot attend the university due to work or family obligations can complete courses via the Internet or videoconferencing.

[13] The university is a member of the Division II ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) for most of its sports since the 2012–13 academic year;[14][15][16] while its men's soccer team competes in the Great American Conference (GAC).

The RiverHawks previously competed as an NCAA D-II Independent during the 2011–12 school year; in the D-II Lone Star Conference (LSC) from 1997–98 to 2010–11; and in the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference (OIC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1974–75 to 1996–97.

In 2003, the men's basketball team won the NCAA Division II National Championship, beating Kentucky Wesleyan 75–64.

The campus offers upper-level and graduate courses in education, business, general studies, nursing, and industrial management.

The center also houses the Master of Business Administration and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program for the campus.

Funding for the campus came from a one-half percent sales tax which was approved by Broken Arrow voters.