Oklahoma Christian University Freezes Tuition Rates

Oklahoma Christian University announced a tuition, room and board freeze for the 2021-2022 school year. A comparison of tuition rates from 2019 to 2020 reveals a rising tuition rate.

According to a college tuition comparison site, 2020 undergraduate tuition has risen by 5.23% from the previous year.

The Chief Operating Officer, John Hermes, explained how freezing tuition rates affects students and their families.

“We hope that freezing tuition and fees for the fall of 2021 will help students and their families by keeping the cost of education down,” Hermes said.

Kristy Ausland, a senior at Oklahoma Christian, shared how her scholarships have made the rising tuition rates manageable.

“The rising tuition rates thankfully haven’t affected my family too much, but that’s mainly because of the scholarship,” Ausland said. “We still prefer tuition and any school expenses to stay affordable.”

Yuki Takayanagi, a freshman at Oklahoma Christian, spoke of the benefits of the tuition freeze.

“I’m happy to hear that because it helps me and my family a lot,” Takayanagi said. “Because of COVID-19, I couldn’t come to college from Japan and take classes in the last fall semester which means my graduation will be postponed, so financial help means a lot for me.”

COVID-19 has financially impacted many college students and their families, complicating students’ abilities to keep taking classes.

On the official Oklahoma Christian website, President John DeSteiguer talked about the financial effect of COVID-19.

“The pandemic has impacted many student families financially,” DeSteiguer said. “Holding costs steady is the right thing to do.”

Junior Leo Langner shared the impact of COVID-19 on his family. His father, who lives in Brazil, is paying tuition, but the financial impact of COVID-19 has recently worsened in Brazil.

“Now with COVID-19, freezing the tuition will be good,” Langer said. “Freezing the tuition rates will help people who lost their jobs because of coronavirus to keep more of their money.”

Tuition rates at colleges in the United States presented challenges for the average American household before the coronavirus pandemic. The effects of COVID-19 have worsened the financial stresses involved in higher education.

The farther students advance their education, the more expensive tuition rates become. Forbes addressed the struggle of tuition rates for students and their families.

“The average cost of tuition and fees – in inflation-adjusted dollars – at both private and public schools has more than tripled from the academic year 1971-72 to 2019-2020,” Forbes said. “When it comes to the higher education institutions, the pandemic has had – and will continue to have – a drastic financial impact.”

CNBC found that undergraduate students have struggled with tuition due to the pandemic.

“Just about half of all undergraduates said they need to figure out a new way to pay for school because of the impact of the pandemic on their financial standing,” CNBC said.

The coronavirus pandemic financially impacted many universities and colleges in addition to students. Regardless, Oklahoma Christian has decided to freeze tuition rates and provide more affordable higher education compared to other private universities.

“Our students come from all economic backgrounds,” the Oklahoma Christian website said. “OC costs $12,490 less than the national average for private colleges and universities.”

The current tuition and fees at Oklahoma Christian add up to $19,791 while the average cost of a private college’s tuition is $32,281.

Also, Oklahoma Christian provides students with many scholarship options.

“Ninety-five percent of OC students receive scholarships and financial aid, and this along with our work to keep the price down helps make a quality private higher education affordable for students,” Hermes said.

Although Oklahoma Christian has been impacted by COVID-19, they still try to provide affordable higher education. 

“Oklahoma Christian is a great value with excellent academic outcomes that make larger institutions envious,” DeSteiguer said.

Oklahoma Christian is offering in-person classes during the pandemic with various regulations to reduce health risks, such as mask wearing and holding classes in larger spaces. The tuition freeze allows students to receive a quality education despite COVID-19 changes.