The State Board of Higher Education is expected to approve the increases at its meeting today in Coos Bay. The increase in fees frustrated some leaders who lobbied legislators to hold down college costs. These nickels and dimes really add up. And compounding the concerns over cost is a national trend among college students to take longer than four years to graduate. Students at state schools pay extra fees for buildings, health care and technology, some of which vary among schools.
Some schools charge extra for students to enroll in their honors programs.
Room and board costs also rose. The situation is still better than just a few years ago. When Measure 5 passed in 1990, the Legislature slashed funding for public higher education. Oregon universities boosted prices more than 80 percent to make up for cuts. The cost of public higher education generally has stabilized across the country after years of big increases.