The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education today approved slight increases to tuition and mandatory fees for Oklahoma’s public colleges and universities. Tuition and mandatory fees for in-state undergraduate students will increase an average of 2.5% statewide for the 2019-20 academic year.
“Our public higher education institutions have operated in an extremely challenging fiscal environment for the last eight years, and we appreciate that Governor Stitt and the Legislature provided an increase in appropriations for higher education for FY 2020,” said Jay Helm, chair of the State Regents. “Increasing college degree completion to strengthen Oklahoma’s workforce and economy continues to be the state system of higher education’s top priority.”
On average, a full-time Oklahoma college student will pay $146.93 more for tuition and mandatory fees in 2019-20.
“The State Regents and our public colleges and universities remain committed to keeping higher education affordable for all Oklahomans,” said Chancellor Glen D. Johnson. “We thank Governor Stitt and our legislators for investing in our state system, which is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as having the 12th-lowest tuition and fees and 13th-lowest student debt level at graduation in the nation. This slight increase to tuition and fees will enable our public institutions to meet mandatory costs while continuing to provide excellent academic programs and services for our students.”
The University of Oklahoma, Norman, and Oklahoma State University, Stillwater and Tulsa, are not increasing tuition and mandatory fees in 2019-20.
Public regional university tuition and mandatory fee increases average 2.8% for in-state undergraduates.
Oklahoma’s community colleges will increase in-state tuition and mandatory fee rates by an average of 2.9%.
State law requires tuition to remain at levels below the average among comparable institutions, and Oklahoma’s public colleges and universities continue to keep tuition well within those limits.
“Higher education is an essential aspect of being a top 10 state, and we are grateful for the investment the governor, Legislature and State Regents are making in our public colleges and universities,” said Oklahoma Panhandle State University President Tim Faltyn, who serves as chair of the Council of Presidents. “When you realize that the earning potential of an individual with a college degree is more than 60% higher than that of a high school graduate nationally, it is clear that access to affordable higher education is an excellent investment for Oklahoma. We believe in the goal of making Oklahoma a top 10 state, and these small increases will support institutional efforts to make students more successful on campus and in the workforce.”
The law also requires the State Regents to make a reasonable effort to increase financial aid across the state system proportionate to any increase in tuition. Tuition waivers and scholarships provided by state institutions will increase 4.2% from FY 2019. In addition, the State Regents administer Oklahoma’s Promise, a state scholarship program that allows high school students from middle- and low-income families to earn a college tuition scholarship. Beginning in 2017-18, the Oklahoma Legislature expanded eligibility for the program by increasing the family income limit from $50,000 to $55,000. An estimated 17,000 students will receive the Oklahoma’s Promise scholarship in 2019-20.