By Nuria Martinez-Keel, Oklahoma Voice
OKLAHOMA CITY — Sixteen Oklahoma universities, including the two largest in the state, are seeking to raise their tuition and fees by an average of 2.96%, should a state board give approval.
With nine more colleges intending to hold their tuition and fees flat, Oklahoma’s higher education system could see a 2.2% increase in overall costs to undergraduate students. That would raise the cost of an undergraduate course by $4.92 per credit hour.
The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education will decide Thursday whether to approve the requested increases. The regents on Wednesday heard presentations from presidents of all 16 institutions looking to hike tuition and fees.
University of Oklahoma President Joseph Harroz asked for a 3% increase at OU’s flagship Norman campus and its Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City, as well as 5% for its College of Law. If approved, this would be the fifth year in a row OU’s tuition and fees have gone up.
An Oklahoma resident undergraduate would pay $5.40 more per credit hour, and a non-resident would be charged $24 per credit hour more, university records show.
Despite the increases, OU’s enrollment continues to grow, approaching 40,000 students, Harroz said. The added revenue will help support the rising student count, a fifth consecutive year of faculty and staff salary raises, and OU’s research spending, which is now $500 million annually.
About 58% of OU students graduate debt free, he said, and need-based financial aid has risen. Students who graduate with debt finish their degree owing about $32,000.
“Hopefully they see, even if they have to borrow money, it’s still a good value,” Harroz said.
Oklahoma State University’s six-year run of flat tuition and fees could come to an end. The regents will consider OSU’s ask for a 4.75% increase for undergraduate students.
A full-time student from Oklahoma would pay $438 more per year, President Jim Hess said. A non-resident undergraduate would see $1,100 more in costs.
Hess said OSU’s tuition is “already pretty low,” ranking among the least-expensive in its 16-team athletic conference. He said his administration has built financial reserves and reduced expenses by centralizing services, like IT and human resources, across the OSU/A&M system.
But at this point, Hess said “we have stretched this rubber band about as far as it’s going to go.”
He projected OSU will seek to raise tuition again in future years to cover operational costs unless the state Legislature approves greater funding for higher education.
“In the absence of that, to be very, very blunt, I think we can expect to see more tuition increases,” Hess said. “If I told you otherwise, I don’t think you’d believe me.”
The Legislature appropriated $1.11 billion to Oklahoma higher education institutions for the 2027 fiscal year. The appropriation represents a 1.43% increase over the year before, but it includes no added funds for colleges’ operational costs.
University of Central Oklahoma President Todd Lamb asked to raise tuition by 4% but to leave fees flat. That would equate to $312 in added costs per year for a student.
UCO, based in Edmond, is the state’s third-largest university behind OU and OSU.
“I’m sure you’ve heard this time and time again already; health insurance continues to go up, workforce retention salaries and technology,” Lamb told the regents.
UCO’s health insurance costs are expected to go up by $1.5 million, or 10.6%, in 2027, he said. That alone would generate a 2% tuition increase.
Langston University President Ruth Ray Jackson similarly pointed to the “increased cost of doing business” when requesting a 3% raise in tuition and fees.
Langston, Oklahoma’s only historically Black university, has experienced a 6% decrease in revenues, though its enrollment has remained relatively steady, Jackson said.
Meanwhile, the cost of food service for students’ meal plans will go up in the coming year. The requested increase also will support facility maintenance, she said.
Other colleges requesting tuition and fee increases are Rogers State University, Oklahoma Panhandle State University, Connors State College, East Central University, Northeastern State University, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, Murray State College, Rose State College and Western Oklahoma State College.
