TOPEKA – Kansas students at Wichita State University could see their tuition and fees for a semester of school increase by 5.5 percent in the fall.
A semester at WSU would cost $2,681.75 — or $139.50 more than the current rate of $2,542.25 — under a proposal presented to the Kansas Board of Regents on Thursday.
The regents, who oversee the state’s colleges and universities, listened to the heads of the six universities pitch their proposed increases; the board will likely vote on the proposals during its June meeting.
Other fee and tuition increases for Kansas students ranged between a $101 jump for Emporia State University students to $206.25 for Kansas University students who enter the compact system where they pay a fixed tuition rate for four years.
For more, read Friday’s Wichita Eagle.
Here are the initial proposals for instate undergraduates:
Wichita State University Current tuition and fees: $2,542.25 Proposed tuition and fees: $2,681.75 Dollar difference: $139.50 Percent increase: 5.5 percent
University of Kansas – standard Current tuition and fees: $3,520.85 Proposed tuition and fees: $3,644.60 Dollar difference: $123.75 Percent increase: 3.5 percent
University of Kansas – compact Current tuition and fees: $3,862.10 Proposed tuition and fees: $4,068.35 Dollar difference: $206.25 Percent increase: 5.3 percent
Kansas State University Current tuition and fees: $3,313.65 Proposed tuition and fees: $3,434.75 Dollar difference: $121.10 Percent increase: 3.7 percent
Emporia State University Current tuition and fees: $2,068 Proposed tuition and fees: $2,169 Dollar difference: $101 Percent increase: 4.9 percent
Pittsburgh State University Current tuition and fees: $2,161 Proposed tuition and fees: $$2,296 Dollar difference: $135 Percent increase: 6.2
Fort Hays State University Current tuition and fees: $1,770 Proposed tuition and fees: $1,881 Dollar difference: $111 Percent increase: 6.3 percent
7 Comments
When everyone is doing worse raise your price. That is a business plan that is made to fail.
Out of control, an education increase hits students and parents. I wonder if there is any representation on these boards from such. Up, Up, and way like everything else, slow it down.
No one wants to see tuition hikes, but with constant budget reductions to our state universities by the state government, they are left with almost no other choice. It’s either raise tuition or lay off university employees.
Looks like I’m going to have to home-college-school my daughters.
George-That is precisely why the Kansas Board of Regents said early on that they wouldn’t allow tuition increases this year. I wonder if it’ll happen. They may have to allow some, but I can’t see this large of percentage increases happening; I guess we’ll see.
Two points:
First, keep in mind that education at state universities is subsidized by the taxpayer. Even with the increases, the tuition charged does not come any where close to paying for what it costs to educate a student. The remaining cost is picked up by the taxpayer.
Second, a college education is an investment, not an expense. There is no other investment you can make that will have the same level of return as an education. Suppose you took that 4 years of tuition and invested it in the stock market. Your return in 15 years would be insignificant compared to the increased income you can generate by obtaining a college education (same is true for many technical degrees as well.) So quit complaining about how much it costs, and instead appreciate that college education is available and, through the support of Kansas taxpayers, remains affordable via grants, loans, scholarships, etc.
Hey why not increase tuition? That way Kansas will continue the brain-drain to surrounding states who have frozen tuition rates through these trying times. Rock Chalk Mizzou go MU?!?