Rose State College offered its first classes on September 21, 1970. Originally named Oscar Rose Junior College in memory of the well-known Midwest City-Del City Superintendent of Schools, the school was renamed Rose State College effective on November 1, 1983. In December 1973, the College became a member of The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education, after approval from the College's Board of Trustees. The College has grown from an initial enrollment of 1,700 in 1970 to a regular fall enrollment of approximately 8,200. The campus now includes twenty-two buildings on approximately 116 acres.