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Crimson Commitment

FREE tuition and average student fees for qualifying Oklahoma residents

Crimson Commitment: Two students walking on OU campus
CRIMSON COMMITMENT

Making OU Affordable for Oklahoma Residents

Crimson Commitment guarantees scholarships and grants to cover tuition and average fees for an OU student who qualifies and receives Oklahoma's Promise. Tuition and fees will vary based on major.

"We are taking action to make OU more affordable to Oklahomans and want students in the state to think of OU as their future college home. We are dedicated to keeping Oklahoma talent in our state, and Crimson Commitment helps us serve strong students who are in most need of financial assistance."

– Jeff Blahnik, Vice President

Division of Enrollment Management

Crimson Commitment: Free tuition for students who qualify fully for Oklahoma's Promise, and free average feed combining outside and OU resources for up to $9,085 for four years for qualifying in-state students

Crimson Commitment Details

A student who is enrolled in OU's Crimson Commitment will not have to pay tuition and, combining outside and OU resources, average student fees for four years. Please check the OU Bursar website for exact course fees. The program is an upgrade and a replacement to the previous Sooner Promise program.

Admitted Oklahoma’s Promise students who have submitted a FAFSA can waive their $250 enrollment deposit by logging into their oubound.ou.edu account.

The program also offers academic and personal support, which comes in the form of peer mentoring and ongoing programming focusing on the transition to college, success on campus, and the college-career pathway.

During their first year on campus, Crimson Commitment students will also attend monthly symposiums, where students will have the opportunity meet other participants and learn more about resources at the University of Oklahoma.

For questions about Crimson Commitment programming or the monthly symposiums, please email transitions@ou.edu.

To qualify for Crimson Commitment for the 2024-25 school year as an incoming freshman, you must:

  1.  Qualify fully for Oklahoma's Promise. You must be:
    • Must be an Oklahoma resident.
    • Must enroll in the 8th, 9th, 10th or 11th grade.
    • While enrolling in Oklahoma’s Promise in high school, a student’s family's federal adjusted gross income must not exceed:
      •     $60,000 with 1 or 2 dependent children OR
      •     $70,000 with 3 or 4 dependent children OR
      •     $80,000 with 5 or more dependent children
  2. Apply to OU by February 1 of your high school senior year. OU will waive the application fee for Oklahoma's Promise students.
  3. Be admitted to OU as a direct from high school, first-time, full-time freshman.
  4. File your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by April 1* of your high school senior year.
  5. Enroll as a full-time student each semester.
  6. To qualify for Oklahoma's Promise and Crimson Commitment while a student at OU, your family's federal adjusted gross income must not exceed $100,000.

*The University of Oklahoma is moving the FAFSA submission deadline from March 1 to April 1 for the 2024-2025 school year for Crimson Commitment eligible students because of the delayed FAFSA simplification release.

No separate application is needed for Crimson Commitment as long as you apply and receive Oklahoma's Promise and apply to OU by February 1.

Waive your application fee! As an Oklahoma's Promise student, you can submit your application for free. Here's how:

Option 1: OU Application

Create, complete, and submit your application. If you're eligible for Oklahoma's Promise, our OU application will automatically waive your fee when you click "submit." This means you can submit your application without paying the application fee.

Option 2: Common Application

  1. Create and complete your application.
  2. On the OU Member page in the “General” section, select “University of Oklahoma Alumni Fee Waiver” related to the school-specific fee waiver question.
  3. Type OKP2024 in both boxes.
  4. Finalize and submit your application.

Option 3: Apply Coalition with Scoir

  1. Create and complete your application.
  2. In the "Application Fee Waiver" portion of the application, select "Yes" for an alumni application fee waiver code.
  3. Type OKP2024 in both boxes.
  4. Finalize and submit your application.

If your application fee is not waived and you are Oklahoma's Promise eligible, please contact the Office of Admissions & Recruitment at admissions@ou.edu.

To renew Crimson Commitment for the 2024-25 school year, you must:

  1. Meet and maintain eligibility requirements and conditions for Oklahoma’s Promise
  2. File your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on or before April 1*
  3. Be enrolled full-time and maintain a four-year graduation track
  4. Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).
  5. Attend the Crimson Commitment Symposiums (freshman year only)

*The University of Oklahoma is moving the FAFSA submission deadline from March 1 to April 1 for the 2024-2025 school year for Crimson Commitment eligible students because of the delayed FAFSA simplification release.

Meet Crimson Commitment Students

Heidy Briones
Heidy Briones

“If you’re passionate about something and you want that support system, you will always have that at OU ... If you have an idea, if you want to bring something to campus, you will have the opportunity to put that into practice.”

Read Heidy's Story

Joseph Browning
Joseph Browning

“I wouldn’t have gone to a big university if I didn’t have Oklahoma’s Promise and then subsequently Crimson Commitment. It is a really big game changer and can totally change your life. I know that’s cheesy, but it really can.”

Read Joseph's Story

Roman Lopez
Roman Lopez

“Crimson Commitment has been really helpful in keeping me here because it’s making me not have to worry so much about my bursar since it’s been taking the place of a lot of aid that has been lost.”
 

Read Roman's Story

Academic College Fees

An average student taking 15 credit hours in the Dodge Family College of Arts & Sciences typically has $4,543 in fees a semester. Here's a look at fees per credit hour associated with each college. For a complete list of all additional fees, visit ou.edu/bursar/tuition_fees. No matter which classes a student takes, combining outside and OU resources, a student enrolled in Crimson Commitment will have up to $9,085 per year to cover fees. Scholarships and grant money a student receives reduce this sum. Crimson Commitment only applies to OU specific courses.

CollegeProgram and Technology Fee Per Credit Hour
Architecture$171.75
Arts & Sciences$120.75
Atmospheric & Geo Sciences$173.00
Business - Undergraduate$232.75
Business - Graduate$109.25
Earth & Energy$182.25
Education$126.00
Engineering$184.25
Fine Arts$133.75
International Studies$117.25
Journalism & Mass Communication$160.50
Law$105.95
University College$113.25

FAQs

Crimson Commitment is the University of Oklahoma’s dedication to making OU affordable for Oklahoma residents. A student who is enrolled in OU’s Crimson Commitment will not have to pay tuition and, combining outside and OU resources, up to $9,085 in student fees per year for four years.

Both incoming and current resident students who are recipients of Oklahoma’s Promise may be eligible for Crimson Commitment. If you’re eligible for Oklahoma’s Promise, you will automatically be enrolled in OU’s Crimson Commitment as long as you meet the below requirements.

To qualify for Crimson Commitment for the 2024-25 school year, an incoming student must:

  1. Qualify fully for Oklahoma's Promise
  2. Apply to OU by February 1
  3. Be admitted to OU as a direct from high school, first-time, full-time freshman
  4. Complete a FAFSA by March 1 of their senior year of high school
  5. Enroll as a full-time student each semester

To renew Crimson Commitment for the 2024-25 school year, a current student must:

  1. Meet and maintain eligibility requirements and conditions for Oklahoma’s Promise
  2. File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on or before March 1
  3. Be enrolled full time and maintain a four-year graduation track
  4. Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
  5. Attend the Crimson Commitment Symposiums (freshman year only)

Transfer students with Oklahoma’s Promise who are also Phi Theta Kappa or a Ticket to Rose participant with Rose State College will qualify for Crimson Commitment. View our Transfer Crimson Commitment page for futher details. 

Crimson Commitment is available for qualifying incoming freshmen for four years.

A student must be enrolled as a full-time student each semester to participate in the Crimson Commitment program.

Crimson Commitment is now available for eligible incoming freshmen and current students.

OU offers flat-rate tuition, allowing students to pay for 15 hours of tuition each semester or 30 hours per year. Students can take up to 21 hours each semester and still receive flat-rate tuition. Crimson Commitment guarantees Oklahoma Promise students $9,085 each year to cover average fees. A student's fees may exceed average fees depending on the student's course of study and the number of hours taken. Refer to the list of college specific fees for more information.

Crimson Commitment is a last dollar, “gap filling” program. It is made available to an Oklahoma’s Promise eligible student who is direct from high school, enrolls full time, and has total gift aid (scholarships, grants, and tuition waiver) amounts of less than $9,085 (excluding Oklahoma’s Promise). Crimson Commitment will raise the student’s total gift aid up to the $9,085 commitment. If the student already has gift aid (excluding Oklahoma’s Promise) in excess of $9,085, then the student will not receive Crimson Commitment.

Crimson Commitment is OU’s guarantee to cover tuition and average student fees, but we recognize there may be additional costs. All students must complete the FAFSA to qualify for Crimson Commitment, but we encourage students to apply to OU by December 15, our final scholarship deadline, and to check out these outside scholarship opportunities

Crimson Commitment also offers academic and personal support, which comes in the form of peer mentoring, graduation coaching, and ongoing programming focusing on the transition to college, success on campus, and the college-career pathway.

Crimson Commitment will not apply for the summer term, although Oklahoma’s Promise will pay for tuition during summer courses.

If a student studies abroad through OU courses that are billed to the university, Crimson Commitment could be used to pay for OU tuition and fee charges, but it would not apply to travel or study abroad program fees.

In cases where an undergraduate Crimson Commitment student is taking Health Sciences Center courses, OU will work with the HSC to make sure they receive the proper benefit.

No, Crimson Commitment is only for students earning their first bachelor’s degree.

Yes. Learn more about requesting a Gap Year/Deferred Enrollment here.

Crimson Commitment