President Stacy Leeds announces that annual undergraduate tuition and fees will be reduced from $54,000 to $25,000, beginning in the 2027-28 academic year.
On Aug. 11, 2026 the University of Tulsa announced a reduction in annual tuition and fees, from $54,000 to $25,000. This reduction represents a more than 50% decrease in tuition cost, and an approximate 40% decrease in the published total cost of attendance. In an announcement from new university president Stacy Leeds, TU stated, “For first-time, full-time students, that rate will be locked in for four years.”
Additionally, current TU students paying more than $25,000 in annual tuition and fees will be given an adjustment in their 2026-27 academic year costs, which will guarantee that no student pays over $25,000 in tuition and fees. TU students currently paying less than $25,000 out of pocket for tuition and fees do not qualify for a change in their financial aid package.
The tuition announcement took place at TU’s Access to Excellence press conference, which featured multiple speakers from the university and the Tulsa community. Following remarks from recently appointed TU President Stacy Leeds, attendees heard statements from Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols, Tulsa Regional Chamber CEO Mike Neal, Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Ebony Johnson and TU Student Government Association President and Senior Bruce Bigler.
For out-of-state students, TU’s updated tuition and fees are less expensive than prices at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma’s flagship public schools. OU and OSU’s current nonresident annual tuition and fees total more than $30,000 for full-time students. Additionally, TU’s updated tuition is now lower than other private institutions in the region, including Oklahoma City University and Oral Roberts University. President Leeds highlighted this fact during her remarks at the Access to Excellence press conference, when she stated, “This move makes us the most affordable private research university in America’s heartland.”
Junior Wilmer Cruz, an accounting and finance double-major, told The Collegian, “[The new tuition price] really will, hopefully, help me financially. I have received an email that says I will be given an adjustment on my tuition payment, and I got another email that there will soon be a meeting about my financial aid package.” Additionally, Cruz stated, “I believe it won’t affect the quality of education from what I read. I think they are trying to target a larger enrollment.”
Junior Mason Evans, a mechanical engineering major, told The Collegian that he thinks the change, “won’t have a large effect on tuition and is more about enrollment.” Evans stated, “The cut might just be a change in the sticker price, and most students won’t pay less because of changes in scholarships. They want more applicants.” Evans theorized that the university hopes to increase applicants to boost enrollment and craft a lower, more competitive acceptance rate in the years to come.
Public reaction from TU alumni, prospective students, current students and their families to TU’s lowered price tag has been mixed. Across social media, many individuals have celebrated the decision as a shift toward affordability that will serve current and future students, as well as their families. Commenting on an Aug. 11 Instagram post by @utulsa, user @wxhaleigh stated, “Thank you guys so much for this! I start college in fall of 2027 and this is a giant blessing!”
Other users have cast doubt on the impact of the tuition change. On an August 11 Reddit thread in r/tulsa, user QC_Bex commented, “They didn’t cut tuition. They adjusted the posted ‘what you can expect to pay’ to account for the scholarships students will typically receive. A true tuition cut is a little different than a PR reframing.” On the same thread, user PizzaPartyConor stated, “Smartest thing they’ve done in 20 years. That old $54K number was a total farce that only existed to feign prestige. Ask any student there in the past five years and they’ll all tell you that they paid next to nothing (or maybe you’ll ask one of the hundreds of students who were literally paid to go to school there).”
Responding to the August 11 @utulsa tuition announcement post, Instagram user @elizabethleigh_glenn wrote, “Well, it would be better if it didn’t essentially wipe out the merit scholarships from the kids who earned them. If your kid got a merit scholarship that drops them below the $25,000 then there is no change in tuition. The merit scholarships should be subtracted from the NEW tuition amount. Otherwise you’re just punishing the kids who started earlier.”
TU offered clarification to current students through the University Announcements sent via email in August, which stated that financial aid packages for the 2027-28 academic year will be communicated within the coming months. Furthermore, they advised students that “financial aid eligibility and any adjustments related to the new tuition initiative are determined individually. Some students may receive different communications than you and may have different financial assistance based on their specific circumstances.”
For questions regarding scholarships and aid, students can contact the TU Financial Aid office via email at finaid@utulsa.edu. For questions regarding current tuition payments, students can contact the TU Bursar office via email at bursars-office@utulsa.edu.
