The Northern Oklahoma College Board of Regents approved the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget at the June 18 meeting in Tonkawa.
The approved Educational and General Operating Budget of $26,099,793 represents an increase of 4.9% ($1,215,127). For the second year in a row, Northern will not be seeking an increase in tuition and mandatory fees for the 2025-2026 academic year.
The slight cost difference from 2024-2025 reflected in the cost comparison chart, located online at www.noc.edu/tuition is due to an increase in academic service fees for the NOC/OSU Gateway Program. Tonkawa and Enid campuses will remain flat. The NOC Board of Regents unanimously approved this freeze in tuition and mandatory fees during their meeting and it will be presented to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education for approval on June 26.
“The Regents are very pleased we are able to continue to provide high quality educational opportunities and services to NOC students without increasing the financial burden on them or their families,” said regent chair Jason Turnbow.
NOC will receive a total of $10,363,563 for FY 26, representing an overall decrease in state allocations of -.13% ($13,070) from FY25. This decrease was a direct result of our STEM-related funding.
After a review of the STEM-related funding provided over the past three years, the OSRHE are continuing this initiative and $249,575 has been allocated for use in STEM-related degree programs that lead to occupations listed as requiring a degree on Oklahoma’s Top 100 Critical Occupations (2018-2028). This “at-risk” funding assists with three full-time STEM positions at NOC and will be re-evaluated at the end of the 2027-2028 academic year for possible reallocation.
While the allocations from the state level were not positive, we are pleased to share that, again this year, institutions will be reimbursed for 100 percent of the total eligible waivers for high school juniors and seniors that our institutions provided in FY25. This $721,123 reimbursement represents an increase of $79,035 from the previous year. Also, during the legislative session, the Oklahoma Legislature allocated the remaining two years of deferred maintenance money to all be disbursed in FY 26 for a total of $2,256,966.
“I am quite pleased with the work faculty and staff have done in recruiting and retaining students at all NOC locations this year. The increase in enrollment has allowed us to make some positive changes to the budget for the upcoming fiscal year,” stated Diana Morris Watkins, NOC President. “We are extremely grateful to the Oklahoma Legislature for the deferred maintenance allocations which are allowing us to make some long overdue improvements to campus infrastructure.”
Also at the meeting, Mike Loftis was elected the Regents Chair and Brad Fox as Vice Chair for 2025-2026.
In other business, the regents approved the following items:
- Appointed regents Loftis and Fox as Group One Trustees for the Northern Oklahoma College Foundation.
- Approved the NOC Campus Master Plan for FY2026-2033.
- Approved the Financial Report, Monthly Purchases, and Monthly Allocations.
June’s meeting was the final for retiring regent Jason Turnbow who served four years on the Board of Regents.
The next meeting is Wednesday, July 16, at NOC Tonkawa at 2 p.m.
Northern Oklahoma College, the state’s first public two-year community college, is a multi-campus, land-grant institution that provides high quality, accessible, and affordable educational opportunities and services.
NOC serves over 3,100 students through the home campus in Tonkawa, branch in Enid, and NOC/OSU Gateway Program in Stillwater. Of these students about 80% receive some type of financial assistance. 75% of NOC students complete their degree with zero debt.
The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and offers associate degrees in three general areas: Arts, Science and Applied Science; the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs; and the Accreditation Commission for Education and Nursing.
For more information about Northern Oklahoma College please call (580) 628-6208 or visit the NOC website at www.noc.edu.
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