The OLLU Board of Trustees has set tuition for the next two years (2016-2017 and 2017-2018). Tuition will increase by $506 per semester for undergraduate students for 2016-2017. In 2017-2018, it will increase $526 per semester for undergraduate students.
The new rate is a four percent increase per year, and it applies to all student types. Visit the tuition and fees page on the OLLU website to see all new tuition rates for 2016-2017.
The rationale behind the increase includes investing in current and new academic programs, increasing institutional scholarship support, and investing in infrastructure improvements. Further, by setting the tuition two years in advance, the university is enabling students and their families to take advantage of changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that now allow families to use “prior-prior” year tax returns so they can complete the FAFSA after October.
President Diane E. Melby said, “The administration and the Board put a lot of energy into setting tuition two years out in order to assist students and families to plan ahead. We are very focused on providing a value-added experience for our students while working with them to keep the costs of an OLLU education affordable.”
Even with this increase, OLLU still remains the lowest tuition among local and regional private universities including University of the Incarnate Word, St. Mary’s University, Trinity University, St. Edward’s University, Texas Lutheran University, and the University of St. Thomas. In addition, OLLU’s cumulative tuition increases over the past five years remain lower than those private institutions as well.
For 2016-2017, the Board of Trustees increased meal plan rates by $100 per plan. Residence hall rates have increased by $50 depending on the room type. A new administrative/processing fee of $75 has been added for online graduate students, but all other University fees will remain the same.
It is important to note that the new residence hall to begin construction this month is not funded by the tuition increase. Funding for that project is through loan arrangement with an external bank and will be paid for in the coming years through rental fees to students living in that facility.