The Capacity-Based Pricing (CBP) initiative core team kicked-off development in February 2019 to lead the discussions for a more dynamic pricing model for non-resident students. The Core team's Investment Grade Proposal (IGP) was approved in August of 2019 and, under the leadership of Jon Boeckenstedt, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, select colleges began piloting qualifying majors. The initiative entered scale-up in 2021.

The Capacity-Based Pricing initiative’s objective is to increase undergraduate non-resident enrollment and graduation in majors where:

1. OSU has a comparative advantage at delivering these majors to the Pacific Northwest region and beyond;

2. Upper division core courses in these majors has excess classroom capacity;

3. Graduates of these majors are in demand by employers in the broader region; and

4. Primary constraint on accessibility is the full cost of non-resident tuition at OSU. OSU and the Colleges benefit by increasing net tuition revenue and extending the impacts of graduates in an intentional way.

Several colleges, including College of Forestry, College of Agricultural Sciences, and College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences have programs that meet the requirements above. CBP increases nonresident undergraduate enrollment in specialized majors where OSU is uniquely positioned in the region. To fill these programs and graduate enough students to meet nationwide needs, OSU must attract nonresident students. By creating a dynamic pricing model that offers nonresident students affordable access to internationally recognized degree programs, OSU can fill our program capacity and meet the region's demand for graduates.