FILE - Lillis Hall on the University of Oregon's campus in Eugene on Dec. 1, 2019.
Kaylee Domzalski / OPB
The University of Oregon is raising tuition and fees on this fall’s incoming class.
UO’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously Tuesday to increase tuition by 4.5% for new in-state undergraduate students. This will make a four-credit class around $55 more expensive.
The board also raised tuition for new non-resident undergraduates by 3%, meaning those students will pay around $115 more for a four-credit course.
The price hikes will not apply to most current students at UO, whose original tuition rates are locked in for five years.
At Tuesday’s meeting, UO Chief Financial Officer Jamie Moffitt said this year’s tuition increases are an attempt to balance the school’s needs for revenue with the market’s willingness to pay.
She said the larger relative increase to in-state tuition is a response to how UO’s tuition revenue currently works, as non-resident students subsidize in-state students by paying much more overall.
But some trustees shared concerns that the growing costs to attend UO could make it a less attractive option for potential students.
The school currently has the highest tuition level of any of Oregon’s seven public universities.
“We are starting to learn the last couple years that we feel like we’re bumping up against the ceiling,” said Board of Trustees Chair Steve Holwerda at Tuesday’s meeting. “It could just be because of competition. It may not be because of price. It could be because of value. But we’re watching that.”
Holwerda told the board finding the right tuition price can be a process of trial and error. He said there is still strong interest in UO, but the students it’s attracting have changed.
“We’ve seen an inability to meet our budgeted numbers for non-resident, and we’ve seen an ability to exceed our budgeted numbers for resident,” said Holwerda. “And so we’re going to take the information we’re gonna get this time, we’re gonna put that through our little brains, and we’re gonna act on some of that.”
The board also voted to increase the student fees controlled by the administration by around 3%.
And the board raised an extra charge on business credits from $30 to $50. According to UO, a business major will have to pay an additional $4,400 to complete their studies as compared to a typical student.
Nathan Wilk is a reporter with KLCC. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.
