SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA
LAWTON - College students in southwestern Oklahoma won’t see tuition increases at two area colleges this year, though a third institution, the University of Science and Arts in Chickasha, said it was forced to raise its tuition by a ‘modest amount.’
Both Cameron University and Western Oklahoma State College each said they would not increase tuition for the upcoming school year. In a media statement, Western State President Chad Wiginton said a funding increase for higher education, passed by the Oklahoma Legislature this spring, helped keep costs down.
“We are pleased to announce that Western will not be increasing tuition or mandatory fees for the upcoming academic year,” Wiginton said. “Our goal has always been to provide a high quality affordable education, and the efforts of our legislators and Governor Stitt have provided funding that will allow us to keep tuition and fees flat.”
He said Western Oklahoma State received an additional $135,037 in performance funding which was earmarked for a 3.5 percent salary increase for faculty.
In addition, he said lawmakers also fully funded concurrent enrollment and Western’s reimbursement, based upon last year’s enrollment, was an additional $89,155.
In state tuition remains at $138.90 per credit hour while non-resident tuition remains set at $284.05 per credit hour.
Western State College received $4,548,372 in state funds for the 2020 fiscal year.
CAMERON
At Cameron University, president John McArthur said tuition and mandatory fees would not increase for the next year.
“Thanks to a much-appreciated increase of $315,628 in our state appropriation, as well as continuing to identify and implement cost efficiencies, Cameron University’s tuition and mandatory fees will remain at current rates,” he said.
McArthur said the school’s regents approved a $45.9 million budget for the year. Of that amount, more than $34 million was allocated for student instruction – including scholarships and tuition waivers.
Data from the College Board shows that the national average for in-state tuition and fees at public, four-year institutions was $10,230 per year. Cameron officials said their tuition rate for FY 20 was $6,450, a difference of $3,780.
Though the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma also received a budget increase of about 2.3 percent, previous shortfalls and costs increases required a “modest increase” in tuition, officials there said. Fees for room and board, however, will remain flat.
“We applaud Governor Stitt and everyone in our legislature for understanding that to have a great state, you have to provide the next generation with a great education,” USAO President John Feaver said. “But we have faced many years of budget cuts at the state level that these additional funds, as welcome as they are, simply cannot fill.”
Feaver said in-state students who were enrolled in 15 credit hours will pay an additional $180 each semester, an increase of 4.7 percent in tuition and fees. Nonresident students will pay about $435 more per semester for 15 hours, a 4.8 percent increase in tuition and fees.
Despite the increase, he said, USAO student costs remain more than 20% below the national peer group average.
“We look for every possible way to meet our financial obligations without passing the burden on to our students or compromising what makes our institution so special,” he said.
CONCURRENT
ENROLLMENT FULLY
FUNDED
During the 2019 legislative session, state lawmakers increased funding for the higher education system by $28 million dollars and for the first time in many years, fully funded the system’s concurrent enrollment program.