President Michael Drake speaks to the Lantern staff during a Jan. 26 interview. Credit: Jon McAllister / Asst. photo editor
A plan by university President Michael Drake would freeze tuition for Ohio residents, as well as fees and housing and dining costs for the 2015-16 school year. But the plan would raise the cost of out-of-state and international students’ tuition.
The plan, announced Friday in an emailed statement from Drake addressed to faculty, students and staff, is set to be proposed to the Board of Trustees for approval in June.
Called the “affordability proposal,” the plan would seek to freeze rates on “in-state tuition, mandatory fees, housing, dining and all undergraduate program, course and learning technology fees on the Columbus campus,” according to a university press release.
This means OSU in-state tuition and mandatory fees would be frozen at $10,037 — the same price it has been since the university froze in-state tuition for the 2012-13 academic year.
The tuition freeze would impact 79 percent of OSU students, according to the release.
Although the costs of fees, housing and dining will be frozen for all students under the proposal, the plan includes a 3.1 percent increase in out-of-state student tuition, which would make tuition $27,362 for the 2015-16 academic year.
The increase is set to be a $825 difference from tuition for the 2014-15 academic year, and will affect 13 percent of the OSU student population, according to the release.
Tuition and mandatory fees for out-of-state residents attending OSU’s regional campuses would increase 3.5 percent under the proposal.
Last year, out-of-state students faced a cost increase of about 3 percent when the Board of Trustees voted to raise the out-of-state surcharge 5 percent, making tuition plus fees cost $26,537.
International student tuition is also set to increase by 3 percent, which would be the same dollar increase as out-of-state students. International student tuition, under the affordability proposal, would be $28,362 for the 2015-16 academic year.
This increase is set to affect 5.7 percent of OSU students, the release said.
New international students would face a 6.4 percent increase over the current international rate, raising tuition to $29,302. Approximately 1.9 percent of OSU students will be affected by this increase, according to the release.
International student tuition is higher because international students are not required to pay federal taxes, which support programs like Pell Grants, research grants and federal student loans, the release said.
The affordability proposal would be the first comprehensive cost freeze in at least 40 years, according to the release.
“With this step, we can offer some financial relief for the nearly 80 percent of our students who are from Ohio,” Drake said in the release. “Ohio State is proud to be a national leader on college affordability, but we can do even more.”
The affordability proposal will be voted on by the Board of Trustees during its June meeting, scheduled for June 5.
