Oklahoma state colleges and universities call for tuition increases • Oklahoma Voice

OKLAHOMA CITY – Fourteen presidents of Oklahoma state colleges and universities on Wednesday asked the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to raise tuition.

Many presidents have cited inflation as a reason for the proposed increases.

But twelve presidents did not propose tuition increases, including Oklahoma State University, which fifth year without increasing tuition fees.

Mark Tygret, the Regents’ vice chancellor for budget and finance, said the average tuition increase request is about 2% for undergraduate students. Tygret said that equates to an annual increase of $125.70 for Oklahoma residents taking 30 credit hours.

“Including the proposed increases, the system-wide average of tuition and mandatory fees for local residents remains well below regional and national comparisons,” Tygret said.

University of Oklahoma President Joseph Harroz called for a 3% tuition increase. Tuition at the University of Oklahoma has increased every year since 2020.

But Harroz said that thanks to scholarships and grants, the flagship university has also managed to make tuition for Oklahomans 28 percent cheaper today than it was five years ago.

“This is not something to be taken lightly… We know that inflation is here to stay and I would like to stop it, but we cannot,” Harroz said. “If inflation rises, workers will at least want to try to keep up with the devaluation of their salaries relative to inflation, because that is the biggest cost.”

Harroz said the University of Oklahoma has budgeted $15 million this year to offset inflation for OU employees.

Todd Lamb, president of the University of Central Oklahoma, called for a 3.5 percent tuition increase. The increase would generate about $2.5 million in revenue. Lamb said the university needs that revenue because it receives no direct grants.

“We’re not an R1 (research university) like our friends in Stillwater and Norman, but we’re twice the size of the next largest school in the RUSO (Regional University System of Oklahoma),” Lamb said. “We don’t receive any direct grants, although we’re probably big enough to receive some.”

Southwestern Oklahoma State University President Diana Lovell called for a 2.5% tuition increase.

East Central University President Wendell Godwin asked for a 2.4% raise and presented a plan to repair the foundation of a central building on his university’s campus using deferred maintenance funds.

Jack Sherry, chairman of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, said the process of determining which institutions needed the increases was a difficult task.

“Nobody would be here if they didn’t really need it,” Sherry said. “We’re grateful for the legislature’s allocation of funds for deferred maintenance. It’s always hard to decide where the money goes, but inflation hits everyone hard and we’re trying to stay positive.”

In May Parliament approved an appropriation of $350 million to pay for deferred maintenance and an additional $240 million for new engineering and scientific facilities at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University.

The regents will vote on Thursday on whether to accept or reject the proposals.