Oregon University System raises tuition 6.2 percent
By Bill Graves, The Oregonian
June 04, 2010, 5:31PM
Tuition will climb an average 6.2 percent for Oregon undergraduate students in the state’s seven public universities next fall, raising average annual tuition and fees to $7,082.Combine that with room, board, books, supplies and personal expenses and students will be looking at a price tag of about $20,000 a year to attend college in the Oregon University System.
The State Board of Higher Education on Friday approved tuition increases for undergraduate Oregon students that range from 2.6 percent at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande to 6.2 percent at the Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls. Tuition climbed an average 6 percent at the three largest universities and 4.4 percent at the four smaller campuses.
View full size Students were pleased to see the big three universities back off on charging the maximum 8 percent allowed by the Legislature, said Emily McLain, legislative director for the Oregon Student Association. Still, even a 6 percent increase means hundreds of dollars to students at a time when Oregon families are not seeing their incomes climb at that pace, she said.
Jay Kenton, the Oregon University System’s vice chancellor for finance and administration, said the tuition increase is among the lowest in the nation. He said it is far below a 14 percent increase next fall for Washington State University students following a 14 percent increase this year and a 32 percent increase in tuition and fees pending for California public university students next fall.
The state now provides about 32 percent of the higher education