President's tuition forum on February 16

February 15, 2023

Dear University of Oregon community members,

As part of the University of Oregon’s annual tuition-setting process, I have received this year’s tuition and fee recommendations from the FY2023 Tuition and Fee Advisory Board (TFAB), a group comprised of students, faculty, and staff. The TFAB memo makes recommendations about the tuition and fee rates for incoming undergraduate students and graduate programs for academic year 2023-24.

I invite members of the campus community to review TFAB’s 2023-24 tuition and fee recommendations and provide feedback, so that I may make an informed and thoughtful proposal to the UO Board of Trustees. The board will set tuition rates at its regular meeting on March 13 and 14, 2023. There are two ways to share input with me, at a public forum and by submitting written feedback as follows:

  • Attend the President’s Tuition Forum on Thursday, February 16, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in the EMU Crater Lake rooms. 
  • Submit feedback in writing using this form by 5:00 p.m., Thursday, February 23. 

Guaranteed Tuition and Continuing Undergraduates

The university is in the third year of the guaranteed tuition program, the Oregon Guarantee, which was approved by the Board of Trustees in the spring of 2020 and transformed the UO’s undergraduate tuition model. Under guaranteed tuition, the rate of tuition and administratively controlled mandatory fees for each new class of undergraduate students does not change for five years. As part of the transition plan for the new program, the Board of Trustees also locked annual tuition and administratively controlled mandatory fee increases for undergraduate students who started prior to the summer of 2020 at 3 percent per year for a four-year period.

Incoming Undergraduates Proposal

The Tuition and Fee Advisory Board recommends tuition and mandatory fees for the incoming cohort of new undergraduate students (2023 Tuition Cohort) be set at the following rates:

  • Resident rates locked for five years:
  • Tuition: 4 percent higher than the 2022 Tuition Cohort. 
  • Administratively controlled mandatory fees: 4.32 percent higher than the 2022 Tuition Cohort.
     
  • Non-resident rates locked for five years:
  • Tuition: 3.8 percent higher than the 2022 Tuition Cohort. 
  • Administratively controlled mandatory fees: 4.32 percent higher than the 2022 Tuition Cohort.

Need-Based Support

The University of Oregon will continue to support Oregonians with financial need through the PathwayOregon and Home Flight scholarship and advising programs, which cover tuition and fees for all program participants through a combination of federal grants, state grants, and university scholarships. PathwayOregon is available for academically qualifying first-time freshman Oregon residents who are Federal Pell Grant-eligible. Home Flight is for enrolled citizens of the 574 federally recognized American Indian/Alaska Native Tribes who reside in Oregon. One of the major benefits of guaranteed tuition is that students who receive other scholarships and grants will see the real value of their financial aid packages stay consistent during their enrollment instead of diminishing due to annual tuition increases.

Graduate Tuition Proposal

The TFAB recommendation also addresses graduate tuition rates. For the 2023-24 academic year, the schools and colleges have proposed increases that range from no increase to 5 percent, depending upon the program (see TFAB memo for details). TFAB is recommending approval of these rates.

I want to thank all the members of TFAB for their hard work and dedication. This proposal is the product of ten open meetings, an open forum in January cohosted by TFAB and ASUO, hours and hours of analysis, and work by a group of volunteer students, faculty, and staff who care deeply about the UO and our ability to deliver quality, affordability, and accessibility.

I look forward to hearing your feedback and insights.

Patrick Phillips

Interim President and Professor of Biology