2025 tuition, mandatory fees to remain flat for third straight year

Friday, June 14, 2024

Media Contact: Lance Latham | Chief Communications Officer | 405-744-4800 | lance.latham@okstate.edu

For the third straight year, Oklahoma State University will keep tuition and mandatory fees flat. This year marks five out of the last six years without increases for the university.

The university’s governing board, the OSU/A&M Board of Regents, voted Friday to approve the measure as part of the Oklahoma State University System’s $1.86 billion operating budget for Fiscal Year 2025. The budget includes $236.8 million for the OSU System from the state, which is allocated through the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, and compares to $231.3 million the university received in 2024. 

OSU President Kayse Shrum applauded the regents for prioritizing student access and affordability while continuing to expand the reach and impact of Oklahoma’s largest university system. 

“As we’ve said before, holding the line on tuition and mandatory fees is the right thing to do for Oklahoma students and families. At OSU, eliminating or reducing student debt is a key imperative in our strategic plan, and holding student costs steady where possible is a key part of this effort, as is our commitment to expanding student scholarships.” 

With a systemwide enrollment of nearly 34,000 students, OSU’s student body includes representation from all 50 states; Washington, D.C.; Puerto Rico; and 113 countries. In the fall, OSU reported its largest freshman, Native American, Oklahoma’s Promise and Honors College classes in history at its Stillwater campus. Additionally, OSU’s Center for Health Sciences in Tulsa also experienced increased enrollment. 

State’s top STEM graduate producer secures record-setting funding to boost Oklahoma workforce

As part of its 2025 budget, OSU secured an additional direct state budget allocation of $156.5 million aimed at bolstering Oklahoma’s STEM workforce, the OSU Extension and experiment station network, and advancing key One Health initiatives statewide. 

The funding includes $80 million for expanding life science facilities at OSU. The allocation, which will come from the state's Legacy Capital Financing Fund, will be bolstered by an additional $80 million the university aims to raise through private donations to build a new, state-of-the-art life and physical science building on the OSU-Stillwater campus to replace the current building, which was constructed between 1938 and 1960.

The newly proposed 220,000-square-foot facility will cater to undergraduate science students and is expected to serve upwards of tens of thousands of graduates across the OSU System for decades to come. 

In 2023, the OSU System produced 37% of Oklahoma’s STEM graduates — over 10% more than any other higher education system in the state. The new facility will be instrumental in the university’s goal to increase the number of STEM graduates by at least 500 students annually. 

The remaining $76.5 million in state appropriations for OSU will be used for continued investment in the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine, as well as One Health and human performance research as well as increased compensation for Extension and experiment station educators. 

Shrum expressed gratitude for the record funding support, which she said reflects the state’s and OSU’s shared vision to increase the number of STEM graduates in Oklahoma, enhance the recruitment of top researchers, address Oklahoma’s health challenges and elevate the Oklahoma economy. 

"I am honored to lead the most extensive university system in a state that recognizes the significant impact of investing in higher education,” she said. “By prioritizing these investments, we drive economic growth, cultivate a skilled and STEM-enabled workforce, safeguard our nation, and improve health outcomes for all Oklahomans.

OSU earns top marks for fiscal responsibility 

In March, OSU again earned a AA- credit rating from industry-leading agencies S&P Global and Fitch, cementing OSU as the most fiscally responsible university system in Oklahoma for the ninth straight year. Since FY 2015, OSU has refinanced over $627 million of debt, achieving a cash flow savings of over $102 million.

“Oklahoma State continues to be the highest-rated higher education system in the state of Oklahoma through prudent management of our cash and investments and a modest borrowing strategy,” said Mitchell Emig, OSU director of finance and business operations. “The agencies that rate Oklahoma State’s debt assessed that we have a ‘Stable’ outlook, and they expect we will be able to maintain adequate cash flow margins and our debt leverage ratio at or near current levels.”