Oklahoma Christian University will increase tuition by 4 percent this upcoming fall, meaning tuition for a full-time student will be $19,890 per year.
The total cost of attendance with room and board is projected to be $26,920 per year.
First-year student Katy Jennings transferred to Oklahoma Christian from Abilene Christian University and said the raise in tuition price pales in comparison to other private universities. Abilene, for example, costs between $40,000 to $45,000 a year.
“I paid most of my education through loans, I had some scholarship money but a lot of if came from other places,” Jennings said.
As a private institution, Oklahoma Christian does not receive federal funding and therefore has higher tuition rates to supplement the budget.
More than 90 percent of Oklahoma Christian’s undergraduate students receive some type of federal financial aid, according to Oklahoma Christian. These funds allow students to have a more affordable private education.
“When I was financially comparing schools, Oklahoma Christian gave me the best scholarships out of my three choices,” First-year student Maggie Haliburton said. “Scholarships and grants pay over half of my tuition and my parents cover for the rest.”
Although Jennings’ bills have virtually been cut in half since transferring universities, the increase in tuition next year still affects her ability to afford higher education.
“I don’t really like the rise of tuition, because I don’t want to be paying loans back for the rest of my life,” Jennings said. “Although, Oklahoma Christian is significantly cheaper than my last school.”
Despite the increase, Haliburton said she understands the university has responsibilities to take care of and needs to raise tuition to fund them.
“I feel like we need the 4 percent increase because there are a lot things on campus that need renovation and the money could go towards,” Haliburton said. “It would be nice to see where the 4 percent was going or an explanation why the price has gone up.”
Director of Admissions Michael Mitchell and his team of counselors have been transparent with the families and students in the reality of paying private school tuition.
“We are just communicating clearly to all our perspective students about tuition cost and making sure they have accurate information,” Mitchell said. “One thing about our tuition is that it is straight forward; there are no hidden fees.”
Even with the increase in tuition, Mitchell said Oklahoma Christian is more affordable than other universities that offer a private Christian education.
“The kids who are looking at private schools in comparison to Oklahoma Christian are not going to be majorly hit by a 4 percent increase,” Mitchell said. “Now if a student is already having a hard time figuring out possible ways to pay for tuition here, he or she will still have a hard time.”
Mitchell said he strongly believes that attending Oklahoma Christian is worth every penny each student pays.
“Students are not only paying for an education, but they are paying for a small community, one-on-one mentoring that students receive from faculty and a Christian environment,” Mitchell said. “OC helps people grow and change, it is definitely worth it.”
Mitchell said each student on a campus visit meets with an admission counselors to go over financial education materials with them. This process helps ensure that they make the best choice possible for them, even if it’s not Oklahoma Christian.
“Every student receives a financial package and the admission counselor sits down with he or she and they review it together,” Mitchell said. “We always have a conversation with a family on how they can afford what is not covered by outside resources.”
The admissions team is diligent in making Oklahoma Christian a reality for perspective students, but also allow them to make a smart financial decision, according to Mitchell.
“We never want a students to show up to OC and then realize they can’t pay for it, so we have materials and also a magazine called ParentView that breaks all financial information down,” Mitchell said. “Its really important to us, just from a standpoint of integrity that we have explained everything up front.”
For more information on tuition, visit here.
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