As it is, Kansans who initially leave the state for college must pay out-of-state tuition if they are away more than a year. A smart bill that has passed out of the House and Senate — and whose champions include Rep. Brenda Landwehr, R-Wichita, and Sen. Jean Schodorf, R-Wichtia — would extend the window of opportunity to still pay in-state tuition to within five years after a Kansan had left the state. As local and state leaders plot how to retain as well as attract new workers, this legislation could be a useful tool, providing an incentive for those suffering from second thoughts to come home to a Kansas campus.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Registered?
Commenting on WE Blog now requires you to be a Kansas.com member. Use the links above to register, if you haven't already, or to log in.Contact us
Follow us
Daily Archives
-
Recent Comments
- DavidB on Open thread 11/24
- donndublin on Open thread 11/24
- writerdog on It’s the stupidity about the economy
- ANTI on Open thread 11/24
- Austrian_Economist on Goldman Sachs ‘apology’ hollow
- donndublin on Open thread 11/24
- ANTI on Open thread 11/24
- outlander on Open thread 11/24
- jbradley on Goldman Sachs ‘apology’ hollow
- donndublin on Open thread 11/24
26 Comments
Makes sense, if you make it easier for our college student to stay in Kansas perhaps we will not suffer such a “brain drain” By allowing them to come back to the state to finish their education. They will not be so exposed to the “city Lights” of elsewhere.
Why not eliminate “out-of-state tuition” all together. This simple move would probably increase the number of students in our Kansas colleges and universities. Kansas colleges are, after all, competing with many other colleges around the country. Perhaps a point system could be used to evaluate applications and scholarships which I presume is already being done.
SO, BOTTOMLINE, CONSIDER ELIMINATING OUT-OF-STATE TUITION IN KANSAS SCHOOLS.
Georgia has virtually free college educations for state residents who graduate from high school with a B average. This would eliminate a lot of kids leaving.
The new bill appears to be quite sensible.
I am troubled by the current (old) policy that has made it hard for Kansas students to move back and study in their home state. Who came up with this policy, and what were the specific arguments that led to its enactment?
Sure, let’s go ahead and punish the parents of students who went out of State first, and now want to come back.
What incentive IS there for a Kansas resident, at that point, to return to a KS school? Zilch.
Heck, let’s allow non-US citizens, instead, to get in-State rates.
Just one more reason for folks elsewhere to wonder what the heck is the matter with Kansas?
Sheesh.
Kansas’s regulation or statute doesn’t square with federal Pell Grant and student loan regs. Basically, a student up to the age of 24 is considered to be a dependent of his/her parents unless it can be shown that he or she receives no money from them.
(Money received from trusts set up by still-living parents is not counted as parental support, under law. The Rich are soo clever!)
In this condition, a 20 whose parents live in Kansas and have paid for a student’s university-attendance costs for 2 years, in let’s say Colorado, cannot, qualify for Colorado state-resident tuition. This student is considered to be a Kansas resident by Colorado. But this student is considered to be a non-Kansan, by Kansas.
As we can see, the student is trapped. Colorado isn’t wrong to deny the student Colorado-resident status, as this is supported by federal law. Kansas is wrong. The parents are full tax-paying Kansans. Their child is not a full tax-paying Coloradan. Colorado is not reasonably obligated to provide state-subsidization of the student’s education. But Kansas is so obligated, as long as the parents do not move to another state, and as long as the student cannot declare independence from his or her parents.
correction: 20 year old student
Yes, I can’t see where State Tuition fees apply in these days of a mobile population.
Just do away with out of state fees, problem resolved.
That’s probably the best solution, Republican, but let’s add NO TUITION under ANY circumstances for those who are here illegally.
State schools are for United State citizens – not illegal aliens.
Out of state fees are there for a reason.
It keeps Kansas schools open for Kansans and vice versa for the other states.
When you go to WSU to apply and find out that a few thousand Oklahomans decided to go there because there is no out of state fees and now you can’t, you will have another problem.
Take the fees away from returning students, sure, but keep them in place for all others.
I agree with the intent of the current bill; why not allow those who went “out of state” return to a Regents’ institution at “in state” rates?
Nathan, I don’t think the scenario you painted in your hypothetical is too realistic, IMHO. Assuming, for sake of argument, that there would be the sudden influx of (using your example) Oklahoma students to WSU as the result of no “out of state” tuition, if the Kansas resident otherwise qualifies for admission as an undergraduate under the current statutes, s/he would be admitted. Now, if you are directing your comments to graduate school, this is a different discussion. BTW, I agree with keeping the “out of state” tuition in place for public colleges and universities, which, as I ponder what I just typed, is redundant, for private institutions have one tuition rate reagardless of residency.
Heart, what you say is true, with one small exception; if the student can show that the parents do not claim him/her as a dependent for income tax purposes for at least one year, then all the financial aid decisions are based on the student’s resources alone; at least, that’s how I read the various “stuff” which governs need-based financial aid, such as Pell Grants, etc.
Actually, I think a school pro rata maintenance fee should be assessed to students.
That way, Administrators will be held more responsible in the upkeep of buildings and infrastructure when potential student customers can compare costs amongst the campuses.
Well Vaughn,
It is not simply about what I described either.
You also take into account that Kansas Universities are supported by Kansas taxes.
Another reason why out of state tuition is charged.
To compensate for the fact that you have a student who has invested nothing into the tax system benifiting from it at the same rate as those who have been paying.
There are probably a dozen reasons, but ultimately they charge the out of state rate for a reason, not just because.
Exactly, Nathan; thus, my support of out of state rates for the reason you cite, which is reason enough, IMHO.
Vaughn, we don’t have any disagreement. If a 20-year old moves to Colorado, files a personal tax return there, gets a Colorado DL , is a registered voter there, and shows sufficient income from employment there to be plausibly considered to be independent of his or her parents, that person gets to pay Colorado-resident tuition.
The issue is Kansas telling dependent students who attend university elsewhere for more than a year being declared “not Kansas residents”. But merely attending university in a state has never qualified one to declare himself or herself to be a resident of that state for tuition-reduction purposes.
OK I grew up in Kansas and my folks lived there and Oklahoma for many generations and paid lots of taxes there yet I cannot go there or enroll my kid in KU for in state. But somebody that just moved into Kansas and established residence 6 months ago can. I would favour a deal where states could enter compacts with each other for in state tuition. Perhaps Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri could have such an agreement which would allow each state’s students a much larger variety of colleges with affordable tutition.
Georgia pays for their in state tuition for good students with GAMBLING money so we will have to see how they vote here and how it is structured. Anyone with a B average gets their entire college paid for. But I guessing the pressure on teachers would be more than usual with that system. Everyone in school will have a B…no matter what.
If the gambling money is put in the General fund then you can piss it off as it will be farted away as usual. The teachers union will glum onto it if there is any loose change without any merit or performance accountability.
When teachers are hired and fired at will and are “at will” employees the same as we are, then Ill pay attention to them. As long as they insist on an old Soviet style system of apparatchiks then pay little attention or money to them.
This has been an issue for me. I grew up in Wichita, and after graduating from WSU, I moved to Chicago to get my masters degree. I’d like to move back and get my PhD from KU, but out-of-state tuition makes it an unattractive option. Hopefully, this bill goes through before next year so that KU will be a viable option for me.
why don’t we give children of illegals in-state tuition? … wait, we already do that.
After reading the above comments in this COLLEGE TUITION thread, I still think a strong case could be made for eliminating out of state tuitions. However, perhaps an evaluation system could be used to make sure Kansas students get priority.
I think some of our state colleges are being under-utilized. Without researching, I believe the student populations of our Kansas universities/colleges are approximately as follow:
Kansas University: 26,000Kansas State Univ: 17,000Wichita State Univ: 14,000
Emporia, Ft. Hays and Pittsburg probably EACH have: 9,000
Then we have the Kansas community colleges, such as Butler County, Pratt County (my old school), Johnson County Community College. I suspect these colleges vary considerably from 1,000 to perhaps 20,000 or more at Johnson County CC. About ten years ago, the President of Jo Co CC told me he eventually expected to match K.U.’s enrollment but, of course, counting part-time community students.
I suspect someone will challenge me on these figures.
But, my point here is that most likely some of these colleges are under-utilized in enrollment. Kind of like a great manufacturing company that is not selling its products.
The reasons students from out of state wish to enroll in Kansas colleges are probably highly varied. Some might be:
1) Left Kansas for other state jobs and training/colleges.
2) Military service.
3) Parents moved out of Kansas but retain strong ties to Kansas, perhaps even own real estate here.
4) Reputation of excellent curriculums in Kansas undergraduate and graduateschools, particularly Pratt Community College!
5) Parents considering move to Kansas and comparing costs of schools.
6) Foreign students considering some education in U.S. and looking at Kansas schools. Perhaps attended Kansas high schools on a foreign exchange program. In my opinion, we need to attract foreign students for a variety of reasons.
All of the above reasons would seem to be worthy of an exception to paying out of state tuitions.
A SELLING POINT could be: KANSAS DOES NOT CHARGE OUT OF STATE TUITIONS. If you were a student living in Germany who had been an exchange student at East High School, would this be a strong incentive to return?
Nathan’s argument that the decision should be based on previous payments of Kansas property taxes is worth considering but I think overpowered by other considerations.
So, State Senator Jean Schodorf and Representative Landwehr — I hope you will consider this. This might uncomplicate a lot of evaluations on residency. JWink
Note: If Mr. Erik Sexton of Wichita State University reads the WE Blog, I hope he will join in on this thread. Erik? JWink
Note: If Mr. Erik Sexton of Wichita State University reads the WE Blog, I hope he will join in on this thread. Erik? JWink
Sorry for another double post brought to you by the mindless, electronic robot.
If the student’s parents are still here in Kansas, they are paying taxes. If they are paying taxes, they are supporting the Universities. Isn’t that why we have out-of-state tuition? The Out-of-Staters haven’t paid a dime in support. The in-state parents have paid many dimes.I declare that if a child of an in-state parent wants to come back and go to skool, they pay in-state tuition.Be it ever thus.Further afiant saith not.
How late is the plaque store open?
For most people it’s 8 to 5, but for me, they deliver. Tell them I sent you.