Dear OU Community,
This summer marks six years since we first unveiled our “Lead On, University” Strategic Plan – a process that began with a simple but ambitious goal: to build the nationally competitive flagship university Oklahoma deserves.
Today, the results of that work are visible across every part of our institution.
OU continues to lead the state by attracting students in record numbers. We are on track for a fourth straight year of record Oklahoma freshman enrollment and a sixth consecutive record freshman class, reflecting demand for an OU education unlike anything we have seen in decades. Today, 27% of OU students – and 36% of our students from Oklahoma – are first-generation college students, underscoring the life-changing power of access to higher education. Our research enterprise has grown more than 70% in six years, making OU one of the fastest-growing research universities in the nation. Project 200 is accelerating our rise as a leading research university, and with research expenditures expected to surpass $500 million this year, OU is well on its way toward becoming a $1 billion research institution. At the same time, OU Health has emerged as a national model for transformation, expanding access to care and strengthening health outcomes across Oklahoma.
These accomplishments matter because they are opening doors for our students, strengthening Oklahoma’s workforce, improving health outcomes, and elevating the university’s impact across our state and beyond. They also serve as evidence that the approach we have pursued over the last six years – investing strategically in excellence while expanding affordability and opportunity – is working.
Sustaining that momentum requires continued investment. As a public university, we have a responsibility to remain competitive among the nation’s leading institutions while ensuring that an OU education remains accessible to students with the talent and drive to succeed. To that end, the OU Board of Regents today approved the university’s budget for the 2026-2027 academic year, including tuition and mandatory fee increases that will support continued investment in our people, our students, and our future. On the Norman campus, the Board approved a 3% increase in tuition and mandatory fees for undergraduate and graduate students. On the OU Health Campus, tuition and fee changes vary by program, with most increasing by approximately 3%. The College of Law tuition increase approved today is 5%.
Revenue generated through these increases will help sustain the excellence, momentum, and impact that have defined OU’s recent progress. The budget supports a fifth consecutive year of salary increases, four of which have been merit-based, extending continued investment in the faculty and staff who make OU exceptional. It also advances priorities that strengthen academic programs, student success, workforce development, experiential learning, and research growth. These investments help ensure OU remains a nationally competitive flagship university while delivering meaningful benefits for Oklahoma.
Importantly, our commitment to excellence has never come at the expense of affordability.
In fact, a degree from OU is more affordable today than it was seven years ago. During that time, student aid has increased faster than tuition, reducing the average amount paid by resident freshmen by 20%. Need-based aid and scholarships have increased significantly, and today 58% of OU undergraduates graduate debt-free, compared to 45% nationally.
These outcomes are the result of deliberate choices. We have expanded opportunity for students while remaining disciplined stewards of university resources, generating approximately $160 million in annual operating savings on the Norman campus since FY 2019.
We remain committed to ensuring that an OU education is within reach for students with the talent and ambition to succeed. To learn more about the budget, tuition changes, and the university’s affordability efforts, I encourage you to review our FAQ page and the video illustration below. Students and families with questions about financial aid, scholarships, or college affordability are encouraged to contact the Student Financial Center, where our team stands ready to help.
The opportunities before our university are extraordinary. Our responsibility now is to build on the foundation we have created and continue advancing the vision set forth in our Strategic Plan – championing opportunity, strengthening Oklahoma, and changing lives through education, research, health care, and service.
I am grateful for the faculty, staff, students, alumni, and supporters who have helped make this progress possible. The momentum we are experiencing belongs to all of us, and so does the opportunity ahead.
Thank you for all you do to strengthen this university and the state we proudly serve.
Live On, University,
Joseph Harroz, Jr.
President
