State appropriations are a critical source of funds for the fulfillment of the University of Oregon’s mission of teaching, research, and public service. State appropriations come to the UO in various allocations:
- Public University Support Fund (PUSF): The primary fund for state support of operational expenses to all seven of Oregon’s public universities, distributed through a formula based on state priorities.
- Bonding for Capital Construction Projects: Through bonding capacity, the state allocates targeted funds to universities to maintain and renovate public buildings on campus and build new construction.
- State Programs: Public universities fulfill their mission in service to the state by running programs that the state prioritizes.
- Direct Appropriation: Oregon directly funds some individual programs at universities through either one-time or ongoing allocations.
While the last decade has seen steadily increased funding for public universities, Oregon continues to rank at the bottom of the list nationally in per-student investments. This has resulted in public universities like the University of Oregon to be overly reliant on tuition to provide a high-quality education for our students.
The State of Oregon began its budget-setting process for the 2023-25 biennium in the spring of 2022 when the seven public universities submitted a consolidated funding request to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC). The HECC used that request to formulate a submission to Governor Tina Kotek, who released her recommended budget in January 2022. Kotek’s budget included an 11% reduction in funds requested by public universities to maintain current service levels. After a positive economic forecast, the Legislature increased that investment, but still fell short of the university funding request by 4% in the budget passed in the 2023 legislative session.
If you are interested in joining efforts to increase funding for higher education in Oregon, please reach out to either your ASUO representatives or one of the TFAB representatives who can help connect you with legislative staff working on this issue.
State Appropriation in Actual and CPI-adjusted Dollars, FY90 to FY23
Source: UO Office of Institutional Research.
State Appropriation and Resident Tuition (net: after remissions) Revenue per Student FTE
Source: UO Office of Institutional Research.
State Appropriation and Resident and Nonresident Tuition (net: after remissions) Revenue per Student FTE
Source: UO Office of Institutional Research.
State Appropriation per Resident Student and Resident Tuition and Fees among AAU Publics (FY2021) (scatter plot)
State Appropriation per Resident Student and Resident Tuition and Fees among AAU Publics (FY2021) (bar chart)
State Appropriations per Resident Student and Resident Tuition and Fees among Pac-12 Publics (FY2021) - bar graph
State Appropriations per Resident Student and Resident Tuition and Fees among Pac-12 Publics (FY2021) - scatter plot
