Oklahoma Christian University tuition will increase 5.8 percent in the 2018-2019 school year with a total gross attendance cost of just over $30,950.
According to an email sent to the student body, money from the tuition increase will fund the expansion of student activities “including fitness and wellness activities, music and arts performances, athletic events, Eagle Media broadcasting and other student activities.”
The Oklahoma Christian board of trustees requires administrators to submit a balanced budget prior to the start of each fiscal year. According to President John deSteiguer, the board authorizes all tuition increases above the Customer Price Index (CPI) plus two percent.
“The board of trustees allows us to raise the cost of attendance without getting their permission if we do it at CPI, the inflation rate, plus two percent,” President deSteiguer said. “If we seek to raise it more than that, the trustees want to have a chance to authorize it or not authorize it. Since this increase was slightly above that CPI plus two percent, we presented it to the board of trustees and it was approved last fall.”
Oklahoma Christian raised its tuition three times in the past five years. The university broke that pattern in the 2012-2013 academic year when it maintained the same price for three years. However, the institution has increased tuition every year since then. According to Executive Vice President, William Goad, the tuition increase will contribute to the quality of student life.
“We’re concerned about students and their families, but we also want to maintain the quality of student experiences here at Oklahoma Christian,” Goad said. “We’re committed to continuing to have the kind of faculty and the kind of experience that students want, and that’s where the money will go.”
According to the email sent to all students, student activities will increase to $300 per year. Though this fee typically goes to the Student Government Association, the funds will support the expansion of other student activities.
“I think one of the important pieces of the increase this year is the student activity fee that’s being added,” Goad said. “It’s a common fee that most universities have and ours is still lower than most places. It provides a stable source of funding for various areas of student activities.”
Comparable universities, such as Oklahoma Baptist University and Abilene Christian University, are priced higher than Oklahoma Christian. According to Goad, Oklahoma Christian is an affordable institution.
“We still believe Oklahoma Christian is a worthwhile investment,” Goad said. “If you compare private, faith-based institutions in Oklahoma or private faith based institutions nationally, I think you’ll find that Oklahoma Christian’s charges are still very affordable in the marketplace.”
According to deSteiguer, the funds from this tuition increase will go to expanding resources in terms of updating utilities, expanding student activities and implementing an increased salary for faculty and staff.
Charitable gifts from donors and supporters fund major construction projects such as the Brew and the new cafeteria, which the university plans to break ground on late this spring. This is the model Oklahoma Christian wants to continue to follow.
“Utilities go up much higher each year than we have accounted for,” deSteiguer said. “We haven’t paid our faculty and staff regular increases like we need to. The idea in the increase in the general student fee also is to specifically support things that our students can benefit from or a large majority of them benefit from. We realized that these are very important things to students and we need to make sure that we have the revenue to keep these in their advanced state.”
The Undergraduate Financial Document states “if a student is of legal age, he or she is deemed to be the primary party liable for his or her financial obligation.” Oklahoma Christian encourages students to develop a relationship with their personal financial counselor to navigate their way through paying for college.
“We have a really strong student financial services office,” deSteiguer said. “I would put Judy Cuellar and her team up against any financial aid operation at any other university. The most important thing that I would recommend for every student to do is to schedule time with their personal financial counselor and talk about your individual situation, what this increase means and what possibilities are there for you.”
According to deSteiguer, students who graduate from Oklahoma Christian leave the university with a lower amount of debt in comparison to other institutions. Though increasing the cost of attendance led to difficult decisions and long conversations, the university needs the money for things like utilities, faculty and staff and maintaining the campus properly.
“I wish that we had the resources from other sources that would allow us to maintain flat pricing, but not because Oklahoma Christian is not worth it,” deSteiguer said. “I think the educational and community and spiritual experience that a student gets at Oklahoma Christian is far more valuable than the cost. I am concerned about our students and their families. It’s a tough thing to balance, but we’re trying to do the best we can.”
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