Tuition and fees will be slightly higher this fall at Rogers State University to allow the university to develop new degree programs, add full-time faculty members with doctoral degrees and enhance campus computer and laboratory technology.
The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents, the governing board for RSU, approved the tuition and fee increases at its meeting on Tuesday, June 22.
Tuition will increase by $5 per credit hour and fees will increase by $5.80 per credit hour for Oklahoma students.
“These slight increases in tuition and fees are necessary to preserve and enhance educational quality at RSU and to increase our degree offerings for the residents of northeast Oklahoma,” said RSU President Dr. Joe Wiley.
Beginning this fall at RSU, tuition will be $70 per credit hour for Oklahoma residents and $140.00 for non-residents, increases of 7.7 percent.
Student fees, which were $24.20 per credit hour last year, will be raised to $30 per credit hour this fall. Fees to be increased include the library automation and materials fee, student assessment fee, student activity fee, student parking fee and some course fees. The increased library fee will allow the university to purchase more books and materials for its library and enhance automation of library resources. The student activity fee provides extracurricular, cultural and recreational opportunities for students.
To help offset the tuition and fee increases, RSU will increase its budget for scholarships and other forms of student financial aid, Wiley said.
“Our pledge is that all students will have an opportunity to attend RSU, regardless of their ability to pay,” Wiley said. “If they can’t afford to attend college, we will find a way to assist them through expanded financial aid opportunities.”
During the spring semester, the university held two open student forums to discuss the proposed increases in tuition and fees and to receive feedback from students. In addition, Wiley discussed the proposed increases with several student organizations, including the RSU Student Government Association.
The tuition and fee increases come at a time when state support for higher education has fallen and students and their parents are paying a higher percentage of the cost of a college education at institutions across the nation. Most colleges and universities in Oklahoma are raising tuition and fees this fall to more closely match levels charged by schools in other states and to make up for shortfalls in state funding.
Although the Oklahoma Legislature was able to provide a slight increase in funding for higher education for the coming school year, it was not enough to offset several previous years of declining state support and meet the increasing cost of providing higher education opportunities. This year, RSU will receive $11.3 million in state funding, an increase of 2.29 percent over last year, but lower than in previous years, Wiley said.
The new tuition and fee rates are subject to approval by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.