The University of Oregon delivers a world-class education and exceptional experience to students from around the world. There are two main sources of revenue that pay for the bulk of the university’s operating costs: tuition and state support. This revenue pays for faculty and staff salaries, classrooms and libraries, academic advising, information technology, facilities, fundraising, admissions, human resources, and more. It also accounts for around $70 million in financial aid and scholarships that help ensure the UO remains accessible to every qualified Oregonian who wants to attend.
The Oregon Guarantee
On March 17, 2020, the UO Board of Trustees approved the Oregon Guarantee program. Starting summer 2020, the Oregon Guarantee provides each UO undergraduate student a fixed tuition rate for up to five years. This helps families accurately plan and predict their total tuition and helps eliminate the uncertainty of what a UO degree will cost.
Tuition-Setting Process
The Tuition and Fee Advisory Board (TFAB) is the university’s official advisory group charged with reviewing and recommending tuition and fee proposals each year, prior to their submission to the President. TFAB is advisory to the President and its members are drawn broadly from the university community, including students, faculty, and staff.
The President charges TFAB with advising on all matters that pertain to the cost of attendance at the University, including undergraduate and graduate tuition, mandatory fees, non-mandatory fees (such as housing costs and course fees), and the structure of tuition (including, for example, differential tuition levels or comprehensive graduate program rates). In addition, TFAB helps to promote communication and engagement about tuition with the students of the University.
The FY25 Tuition and Fee Advisory Board met during fall term 2024 to learn about a range of topics, including the fundamental aspects of the UO budget, a primer on financial aid, and long-term projections for the education and general fund. During winter term 2025, TFAB will meet to discuss proposals for changing administratively controlled mandatory fees, housing rates, course fees, graduate tuition, and tuition rates for the new cohort of undergraduate students.
All TFAB meetings are open to the public. Meeting information and materials are available at https://tuition.uoregon.edu/updates.
Undergraduate Tuition and Fees
BASED ON 15 CREDITS PER TERM FOR AY 2024-25
RESIDENT
MANDATORY FEES
NONRESIDENT
For the estimated cost of attendance at the University of Oregon, please see detailed information online at UO Financial Aid &Scholarships. Cost of attendance is the estimated cost to attend the UO for the academic year. The Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships provides estimates for cost of attendance information that goes beyond tuition and fees, and includes: living expenses (housing and food), books/supplies/equipment, transportation, and miscellaneous personal expenses.
State Contributions
While the cost of delivering a public education has only increased slightly over the last two decades when adjusted for inflation, the level of public support has declined significantly during the same time. Fundamentally, public disinvestment has shifted the burden of paying for a college education to students and families.
Funding Sources
Tuition is the primary funding source for the university's academic operations.
EDUCATION AND GENERAL FUND FISCAL YEAR 2023-24
(fees, overhead on grants, interest and investment earnings, sales and service revenues)
Major Cost Drivers
The UO strives to keep tuition increases as low as possible, but the costs of operating a world-class research institution continue to increase every year. A core part of UO's budgeting exercise is to project the future operating costs and make necessary revenue and spending adjustments. This includes investing in exceptional faculty and staff by offering fair benefits and competitive salaries, which require incremental annual increases.
These labor costs, largely driven by collective bargaining agreements, account for about 77% of expenditures, yet the staffing levels at the UO still remain behind peer institutions. FY2021 surveys of staffing levels at other AAU public institutions indicate UO only has 74.6% of the average student-faculty ratio among peer universities and 65.3% of staff per student.
ANTICIPATED INCREASES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025
These are projections for FY25 as of October 2024.
(includes insurance, utilities, rent)
Affordability and Accessibility
To further promote student access and success, the UO has increased financial assistance through initiatives like its innovative PathwayOregon program. PathwayOregon ensures qualified, Pell-eligible Oregonians receive full tuition and fees, as well as academic support, which has helped boost the graduation rate for Pell-eligible students in the Pathway program by 15 percent.
The UO has also bolstered efforts to increase the four-year graduation rate to help students save thousands of dollars on additional tuition, fees, books, and living expenses.
2,107
26%
Affordability and accessibility are vital components for achieving the university's public mission. The UO is conducting aggressive fundraising efforts and budgeting exercises to help curb institutional costs and defray the impact of tuition increases on students and families. The following data show UO fundraising outcomes for FY2024, including funds raised for internship programs, scholarships, and programs such as PathwayOregon. Learn more about UO’s ongoing fundraising efforts for Scholarships & Students Success programs.
Tuition-Related Acronyms and Concepts
AAU — Association of American Universities
The AAU is composed of North America’s 69 leading research universities. The UO is one of only two AAU member organizations in the Pacific Northwest.
Big Ten Conference — An 18-school academic-athletic conference comprised of some of the world’s leading research institutions.
Cost Drivers — Recurring cost increases the university must cover on an ongoing basis in the future. The list does not include all costs that will increase at the University. Instead, it outlines the major costs, such as salaries and benefits that are projected to increase across the entire institution.
E&G Fund — Education and General Expenses Fund (or Budgeted Operations)
F&A Rate/Return — Facilities and Administrative rate/return
FTE — Full-Time Equivalent
FY — Fiscal Year
The UO uses July 1 through June 30 as its fiscal year. FY22 runs from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022.
GE — Graduate Employee
HECC — Higher Education Coordinating Commission
The HECC sets state policy and funding strategies, administers numerous programs and over $1.2 billion annually of public funding, and convenes partners working across the public and private higher education arena to achieve state goals.
ICC — Indirect Cost Credits
Revenue generated from the F&A rate charged to sponsored grants.
OPE — Other personnel expenses (fringe benefits)
At the UO, this is charged as a fixed rate to departments based on an employee’s classification and type of earnings. It covers benefits such as health insurance and retirement.
PathwayOregon — UO program ensuring that academically qualified, Federal Pell Grant–eligible Oregonians who recently graduated from high school and are admitted as first-time freshmen, can apply to have their tuition and fees paid through a combination of federal, state, and university funds. In addition to financial support, the program provides comprehensive academic support and career guidance.
PEBB — Public Employees Benefit Board
PEBB purchases and coordinates Health insurance benefits for approximately 140,000 Oregonians.
PERS — Public Employees Retirement System – Tiers 1 and 2, and OPSRP (Oregon Public Service Retirement Plan). The UO is legally required to offer PERS retirement benefits to its faculty and staff.
PUSF — Public University Support Fund
The main pool of funds allocated by the state for operating support of the public universities in Oregon. The HECC distributes this funding through its SSCM model.
S&S — Services and Supplies: includes insurance, travel, computers, etc.
SCH — Student Credit Hours
SSCM — Student Success and Completion Model.
The funding model that the HECC uses to allocate state operating funds to the public universities.
TFAB — Tuition and Fee Advisory Board
The university’s official advisory group charged with reviewing and recommending tuition and fee proposals each year, prior to their submission to the president and Board of Trustees.
TFAB is advisory to the president and its members are drawn broadly from the university community, including students, faculty, and staff.