Oklahoma State University at Tulsa is defending its “Cowboy Commitment,” a tuition-assistance program for transfer students from other state institutions, against a state lawmaker’s accusation that the program is “predatory.”

State Rep. Mike Shelton, a Democrat from Oklahoma City, says the program seeks to “tempt students away” from other institutions and punishes the Tulsa campus’s current students, the Associated Press reported.

Gary Shutt, a spokesman for the campus, denied those accusations, saying the program was designed to encourage community-college students to complete their degrees at Tulsa, which focuses on junior-, senior-, and graduate-level education. He added that many of the campus’s current students already benefit from the program.

In a news release last month, the campus described the policy as a new program that would start in the spring semester. The waiver will be worth $650 next semester and will be tied to academic performance. Tuition and fees at the campus run about $6,200 a year, according to the AP. —Charles Huckabee