Tuition Holds At Southeastern
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Southeastern Oklahoma State University remains committed to providing students with higher education opportunities at an affordable cost.
To this end, University officials recently announced that there will be no tuition or fees increase at Southeastern this year. In addition, room and board charges will remain flat with no increase.
It marks the third consecutive year that Southeastern has held the line on tuition costs.
“As a University, we have a responsibility to do our very best to ensure we offer students a quality and affordable education,’’ said first-year Southeastern president Thomas Newsom.
“In light of the challenges our students and their families have faced dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, we believe holding the line on costs is the right thing to do. From a revenue and budget standpoint, we are fortunate to be in a good position due to our sustained enrollment growth over the last three years.
It is also important to note that our budget (Fiscal Year 21) does not negatively impact any services, including the hiring of faculty members and other services directly impacting academics and student success.’’
Last fall, Southeastern’s enrollment reached an all-time high of 4,824 students. In addition, the Spring 2020 enrollment of 4,744 students was the largest spring enrollment recorded in the 111-year history of the University.
The growth continued this summer with a record enrollment of more than 3,000 students, an increase of 25% over last summer.
Currently, 85% of Southeastern students receive some form of financial aid, and each year, about 50 percent of graduates are first-generation college graduates.
In other efforts to assist students, the University previously announced a $1,500 tuition waiver for all first-time, fulltime freshmen from Oklahoma; the awarding of an automatic Associate Tuition Waiver Scholarship of $1,000 per semester to students who hold an Associate of Arts or Science degree;
The availability of seven Regional University Baccalaureate Scholarships, providing full tuition plus $3,000 per year towards expenses for four years; the expansion of a policy that provides all out-of-state students, both undergraduate and graduate, an automatic 100% non-resident tuition waiver each semester;
An increase in the Southeastern employee/dependent tuition benefit for all full-time employees; and the distribution of $1,059,075 to Southeastern students as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
In addition to quality and affordability, Newsom notes accessibility has also played a key role in Southeastern’s growth.
“The higher education model has changed dramatically over the past few years,’’ he said. “In addition to traditional face-to-face classes, we offer many programs online at both the undergraduate and graduate level.
“These programs continue to show growth and we will continue to be responsive to the needs of our students.’’
Southeastern will begin fall classes August 17, 2020 with face-to-face and online/remote instruction offered.
