Cameron University will increase tuition for new academic year

Cameron University announced Thursday that it would be increasing tuition rates for the academic year that begins Aug. 1.

That increase accompanies an announcement earlier this year that room and meal rates for students who live on campus also will increase for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Campus officials said undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees will increase by $6.50 per credit hour (about 2.9 percent), while graduate tuition and mandatory fees will increase by $7 per credit hour (approximately 2.7 percent). Tuition rates for the online master of business administration and master of organizational leadership programs also will increase by $7.

“Like colleges and universities across the nation, Cameron University is addressing increased mandatory costs,” said Cameron President John McArthur. “We understand that inflation and rising costs are impacting virtually every individual in the country, whether they are pursuing a degree or not. Cameron lowered distance learning fees by 50 percent for 2023-2024. We are committed to providing increased financial aid to our students. In addition, we continue to analyze our day-to-day operating expenses with the goal of reducing those costs whenever possible without compromising the quality education that we provide to our students.”

The rates were approved in mid-June by CU’s governing board, the Board of Regents for the University of Oklahoma, Cameron University and Rogers State University and will be considered for final approval June 29 by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

In January, Cameron announced it would be increasing room and board rates by about 3 percent and meal plans by 9 percent, increases intended to off-set increased costs to provide the meals and services.

McArthur said then the university’s food costs had increased between 5 and 8 percent each year for several years. The increase for room rates for Shepler Tower residence hall and Cameron Village reflect inflation’s effect on utilities, he said, with the 3 percent increase calculated to allow the university to continue providing maintenance to the facilities while maintaining an affordable living environment.

The university also adjusted its tuition and fees for the 2022-2023 academic year, as part of a plan to set a single rate for all course delivery methods, McArthur said at the time. That change saw the university reduce online fees by $20 per credit hour and mandatory fees by $1 per credit hour, while increasing tuition by $9.50 per credit hour. Officials said then the result was students would pay close to the same cost whether in a classroom, interacting in a live session through a computer connection, or pursuing online courses. That tuition change was the first in five years.