At its full-board public session May 16, the Board of Trustees approved a 3% tuition increase for incoming Ohio resident students. Credit: Caleb Blake
The university Board of Trustees recently approved a tuition increase for incoming students at its full-board public session May 16.
According to public meeting materials, undergraduate tuition for incoming Ohio resident students will increase by 3%, or $385, and will remain at that rate for four academic years. This year is the eighth consecutive year that the Board of Trustees has increased tuition. Ohio law limits tuition increases for in-state students to 3% or below.
Non-resident domestic students will see a tuition increase of 4.3%, or $1,657, while international students will have a tuition increase of 4%, or $1,657.
Tuition for Ohio resident graduate students will increase by 3%, or $404. Non-resident domestic and international graduate students will experience an increase of 3.7%, or $1,513.
Housing and dining costs will also increase by 3%, respectively.
For undergraduate Ohio residents, the public meeting materials state Ohio State is more affordable than 10 of the 17 Big 10 universities. For non-resident undergraduates, Ohio State is more affordable than 11 of the 17.
Ohio residents are protected under the Ohio State Tuition Guarantee, which holds tuition, fees, housing and dining costs at a flat rate for four academic years, according to the university registrar’s website. Non-residents, international students and graduate students do not receive this same guarantee.
The Ohio State Tuition Guarantee stems from a requirement under Ohio law that assures eligible students in the same cohort will pay a fixed rate over four years for general and instructional fees.
Of students enrolled for autumn 2024, 75% will not experience an increase in tuition over their four years at Ohio State, while 25% will see an increase between 3.1% and 4.3% based on their guarantee cohort and state of residency, according to public meeting materials.
Students — including incoming first-year students — who are eligible for federal Pell Grants, which are typically awarded to those with exceptional financial need, will not be impacted by tuition increases.
Michael Papadakis, senior vice president of the Office of Business and Finance and chief financial officer, spoke at the Board of Trustees Finance and Investment Committee meeting May 16, at which he said the university has “seen the impact of inflation across all of [its] areas.”
Papadakis said inflation has gone up by 39% between 2007 and 2022, though Ohio State has only increased tuition by 28%.
University President Ted Carter Jr. spoke on the tuition increase at the full-board public session, where he said tuition rising for incoming students by 3% “really shouldn’t be the headline.”
“This university, for the last eight years, has had a tuition rate guarantee,” Carter said. “The headline ought to be the fact that we’re not changing tuition for 75% of our undergraduate students.”
Carter went on to note how many Buckeyes leave Ohio State debt-free.
“More than half of our undergraduates, 58%, leave Ohio State with zero debt,” Carter said. “Compared to just five years ago, that’s 10% higher.”
