Oklahoma State Regents ask Legislature for $95M increase, detail campus-specific requests

Chancellor Burridge told a legislative panel the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education are asking the Legislature to approve an additional $95 million for fiscal year 2026, a 9.3% increase above the current FY25 appropriation, and presented a package of systemwide and institution-specific requests aimed at boosting workforce-related programs and addressing deferred maintenance.

Why it matters: The regents framed the request around state workforce needs in STEM, nursing and teacher preparation, and sought to make previously off-budget campus allocations more transparent. Lawmakers pressed the regents for enrollment, cost and program details as they weigh priorities against constrained state revenue projections.

Burridge, who recently took the chancellor post, opened by thanking lawmakers for recent investments and said, "The numbers are the numbers," referencing Board of Equalization estimates that could reduce available state funding for FY26 while stressing the regentsconstitutional duty to present system needs. He said the FY26 request was developed prior to his arrival but that he "wholeheartedly support[s] and endorse[s] it." He also said the regents will require colleges and universities to submit their composite financial index when seeking tuition or fee increases.

The presentation included…