While Oklahoma has one of the most affordable public higher education systems in the nation, students of all ages may be looking for additional ways to help cover college costs. To provide another resource for students and parents as they explore options to pay for college, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education compiled a list of employers that offer tuition assistance for employees studying at Oklahoma colleges and universities.
Many businesses, organizations and agencies across Oklahoma provide financial benefits to help employees pay for higher education. The benefit may include tuition assistance or reimbursement, payment or reimbursement for licensing courses and exams, matched contributions to employer-sponsored 529 college savings plans, and/or student loan repayment assistance.
The State Regents’ online listing of companies that offer a tuition assistance benefit is shared with K-12 counselors, college and university financial aid officers, and community partners across the state. To add a business to the listing, employers can complete a brief survey to outline their higher education benefits for employees.
“Public higher education continues engaging public, private and nonprofit partners in the business community to strengthen Oklahoma’s pipeline of educated, high quality workers,” said Chancellor Allison D. Garrett. “We invite companies that offer a tuition assistance benefit for employees to complete the survey and join the list of businesses featured in our website network.”
The list of businesses that have already completed the Employer Tuition Assistance for Higher Education survey is available to students and families at https://www.okhighered.org/adult-students/tuition-assistance.shtml. Information provided includes the types of higher education benefits available to employees and a contact for each company.
The State Regents are the constitutional coordinating board for the 25 public colleges and universities of the Oklahoma state system of higher education. Oklahoma’s public universities have the seventh-lowest cost of attendance in the country. STEM bachelor’s degree production increased 47% over the last 10 years, and 29% at all degree levels. Nearly 90% of Oklahomans – and almost two-thirds of non-resident students – who graduate from a state system college or university remain and work in the state.