OSU Board OKs tuition increases, OSU-Cascades Student Success Center; COCC also hikes tuition

(Update: Bola Gbadebo reporting on OSU, COCC tuition increases at Five)

OSU will boost its student financial aid by $10 million

CORVALLIS, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Oregon State University Board of Trustees on Friday approved tuition rates for the 2023-24 academic year, including a 3.9% increase for returning undergraduate students and a 4.4% increase for new undergraduate students at the Corvallis and Bend campuses. It also approved construction of OSU-Cascades' new Student Success Center.

Word of the OSU-Cascades tuition hike came just two days after Central Oregon Community College's Board of Trustees approved an in-district tuition hike of $5 a credit, or 3%, for next year.

The board unanimously approved the tuition proposal after months of work by student incidental fee committees and the university budget committee comprised of OSU faculty, staff, students and administrators, as well as several open forums with students, faculty and staff.

At the same time, OSU will increase student financial aid funded by the university by $10 million. OSU’s commitment to university-provided financial aid will be $95 million next year, up from $42 million in 2018-19.

“Decisions related to tuition and student fees are made with great care and sensitivity following months of evaluation and engagement with students and employees,” said OSU President Jayathi Y. Murthy.

“We take into account student needs, inflation, state support and the financial cost of a college education that students and families bear. While the board decided tuition and fees for the next academic year, the university will also increase institutional student financial aid to $95 million to help students and their families most impacted by tuition increases.”

The approved tuition increases apply to Oregon resident and non-resident students at OSU’s Corvallis campus, OSU-Cascades in Bend and those taking courses online through Ecampus, OSU’s top-ranked online education provider. The approved tuition and fee levels are within adopted board policy to keep tuition increases annually between 2% and 5%.

The board also approved the following tuition increases for graduate students and students enrolled in Ecampus:

• Increases ranging between 1.2% to 3.9% for continuing Ecampus undergraduates. The rates vary depending on what year the student enrolled, with lower rate increases for more recent cohorts.
• 1.2% increase for new Ecampus undergraduates.
• 3.9% increase for non-Oregon resident graduate students.
• 3.9% increase for students attending professional graduate programs (veterinary medicine and pharmacy in Corvallis and physical therapy at OSU-Cascades in Bend).

There will be no increase for graduate students who are Oregon residents or those attending Ecampus. 

Student incidental fees will increase 5% – an increase of $23.97 per quarter – at the Corvallis campus and 2.7% at OSU-Cascades, an increase of $10 per quarter. Incidental fee rates are developed by student government committees and student leaders at Oregon State’s two campuses and recommended to the university’s president.

Student health and counseling fees will increase a total of 5% in Corvallis and 10.1% at OSU-Cascades. OSU-Cascades is developing a health services program as enrollment grows, and the increase will support expanded services.

The student building loan/debt fee, which supports debt service and is used to build, repair, or renew student services buildings, will increase by $2 per quarter, to $49 per quarter for students in Corvallis and Bend.

The matriculation fee will not increase.

Additionally, Central Oregon Community College also approved an in-district tuition increase of $5 per credit for the college’s 2023-24 academic year. 

It represents a 3% tuition increase, with the college’s in-district, per-credit cost rising from $113 to $118. There is no increase in general student fees, COCC said.

During its meeting, the OSU board also approved:

• A resolution memorializing the life and contributions of Trustee Michelle Longo Eder, who passed away on March 12, 2023. A Newport resident, fisheries industry leader and actively engaged community member, Eder was appointed by the governor as a founding member of the OSU Board of Trustees and served as vice chair of the board’s academic strategies committee from 2015-21.
• Construction of the 17,500-square-foot Student Success Center at OSU-Cascades in Bend. The $21.6 million building will include spaces for student studying and tutoring, advising and counseling, and informal gatherings. It will also provide staff offices for student success, health and wellness programs, student government and clubs, career counseling and internship support.
• A 10-year business forecast for fiscal years 2023 through 2034.
• A resolution that allows for the payment of a stipend to student trustees earning less than $50,000 annually for attending official meetings of the board of trustees. The $160 daily stipend seeks to lessen potential barriers to participation in board service.

Also on Friday, the board:

• Heard reports from student leaders from the university’s Corvallis and Bend campuses, and updates from leaders within the OSU Faculty Senate, the OSU Foundation, the trustees’ presidential transition committee and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission.
• Received updates on university strategic planning and the 2023 legislative session.
• Heard a presentation on university protocols and principles for communicating on social and political matters and local, national and global tragedies.

Three board committees met on Thursday:

• The Executive, Audit and Governance Committee heard a progress report from the Office of Audit, Risk and Compliance and received a report on information technology and security risks.
• The Academic Strategies Committee received briefings on OSU’s undergraduate and graduate programs, including progress on increasing graduation rates, and its enrollment and financial aid strategies. The committee also received a report regarding institutional and program accreditation and academic programs that are in development or review.
• The Finance and Administration Committee received an insurance and risk management update and heard an update on an innovation district proposed for OSU-Cascades.