Advertisement OU Board of Regents approves 7 percent tuition hike Regents also approve contract raises, extensions for assistant football coaches Share Shares Copy Link Copy

The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents has approved a 7 percent tuition hike.The approval comes after 15.95 percent decrease in state appropriations and what President David Boren called "the most critical budget crisis in the history of the university," according to a news release. OU's tuition and mandatory fees reflect an overall average increase for undergraduate and graduate students, residents and nonresidents, of 7 percent.“We have worked hard to keep tuition and fee increases as low as possible," Boren said. The budget crisis will require a 7 percent increase in tuition and fees this year. We will increase our financial aid budget to help those students who have the greatest need to offset this cost. More than two thirds of the funds to balance the budget this year have come from cost reductions and efficiencies instead of from tuition increases.”Full-time OU students enrolling in 12 or more credit hours during the fall and spring semesters can take advantage of a flat-rate tuition and mandatory fees that were instituted during the 2013-14 school year. The flat-rate tuition encourages students to take 15 credit hours per semester, which may include summer intersession hours.According to OU's website , tuition and fees for in-state students taking 30 hours per year is currently $10,090. A 7 percent increase would raise the cost by $706 per year.The state will provide about 12 percent of the OU-Norman campus's $1 billion budget for the 2017 fiscal year, according to the release. Tuition and mandatory fees fund about 35 percent of the budget.“We have made these savings in order to keep tuition increases to a bare minimum and to keep OU ranked among the lowest cost institutions, nationally and in the Big 12,” Boren said. “However, it is clear that we cannot continue to achieve excellence in the future without state financing playing a greater role. The state’s share of the cost of educating students at OU has fallen from 32 percent from 20 years ago to 12 percent today."The people of Oklahoma must decide if they are willing to invest in the education of the next generation. Education, not ignorance, is the pathway to a better future."The OU Board of Regents also approved contract raises and extensions for assistant football coaches.