Melissa Lacey/Journal-World PhotoTOPEKA ? The Kansas Board of Regents on Thursday approved a 25.2 percent tuition increase for resident, undergraduate students at Kansas University, part of a package of increases that KU officials promise will improve the school but some students say will produce a barrier to higher education.
The new rates, which will be in effect for the fall semester, will increase the tuition for a full-time, resident undergraduate to $1,460 per semester from $1,166 per semester, an increase of $294.
Nonresident undergraduate students will see a 9.3 percent tuition increase; resident graduate students, an 18.6 percent increase; and nonresident graduate students, an 8.6 percent increase.
“It’s going to provide much-needed enhancements and help us toward our goal of being a top-25 university,” KU Provost David Shulenburger said.
About 20 percent of the revenue generated by the tuition increase will be directed toward student financial aid.
KU students attending the regents’ meeting were upset.
“You are going to reduce access to KU by a significant amount,” said Justin Mills, a student at KU Medical Center and former student body president. “How many children are you telling, ‘You can’t come to KU’?”
But Shulenburger said that even with the increases, KU was inexpensive compared with most Big 12 Conference schools and KU’s so-called peer institutions across the country.
He said initial indications showed that even with the increases, the next freshman class probably would be larger than the previous one.
Mills wished those freshmen luck, saying that many of them would have to work outside school longer and harder to pay the higher tuition.
Regents members said they were sensitive to the burden they were placing on many families but that the payoff would come in improvements at the schools, which would increase the value of a degree from a Kansas regents university.
“We do know our universities are underfunded, and something has to be done,” Regent Lew Ferguson said.
And regents members were adamant that funds from the increased tuition be used for improvements and not to “backfill” funds that should have been appropriated by the Legislature.
“We are in very difficult times with the state budget. I want to be assured that the tuition increases are for enhancements and not be used to fill budget deficits,” Regents Chairman Clay Blair said.
KU officials have said the increased tuition also would go toward salary increases for faculty, staff and graduate and research assistants, improving library and teaching facilities, recruitment of minority students and technological advances.
Some university leaders said their proposed tuition increases had nothing to do with enhancements, but were simply put in place to maintain the current level of performance.
The regents decision ended months of debate over tuition. Shulenburger would not speculate on what KU would seek next year, but many officials have said the goal is to double tuition over a five-year period.
KU’s tuition increase was the largest, slightly more than Kansas State’s 25.1 percent increase.
For resident undergraduates, Wichita State and Emporia State will each increase tuition by 9 percent, Pittsburg State by 11.4 percent and Fort Hays State by 6.4 percent.
Melissa Lacey/Journal-World PhotoTOPEKA ? The Kansas Board of Regents on Thursday approved a 25.2 percent tuition increase for resident, undergraduate students at Kansas University, part of a package of increases that KU officials promise will improve the school but some students say will produce a barrier to higher education.
The new rates, which will be in effect for the fall semester, will increase the tuition for a full-time, resident undergraduate to $1,460 per semester from $1,166 per semester, an increase of $294.
Nonresident undergraduate students will see a 9.3 percent tuition increase; resident graduate students, an 18.6 percent increase; and nonresident graduate students, an 8.6 percent increase.
“It’s going to provide much-needed enhancements and help us toward our goal of being a top-25 university,” KU Provost David Shulenburger said.
About 20 percent of the revenue generated by the tuition increase will be directed toward student financial aid.
KU students attending the regents’ meeting were upset.
“You are going to reduce access to KU by a significant amount,” said Justin Mills, a student at KU Medical Center and former student body president. “How many children are you telling, ‘You can’t come to KU’?”
But Shulenburger said that even with the increases, KU was inexpensive compared with most Big 12 Conference schools and KU’s so-called peer institutions across the country.
He said initial indications showed that even with the increases, the next freshman class probably would be larger than the previous one.
Mills wished those freshmen luck, saying that many of them would have to work outside school longer and harder to pay the higher tuition.
Regents members said they were sensitive to the burden they were placing on many families but that the payoff would come in improvements at the schools, which would increase the value of a degree from a Kansas regents university.
“We do know our universities are underfunded, and something has to be done,” Regent Lew Ferguson said.
And regents members were adamant that funds from the increased tuition be used for improvements and not to “backfill” funds that should have been appropriated by the Legislature.
“We are in very difficult times with the state budget. I want to be assured that the tuition increases are for enhancements and not be used to fill budget deficits,” Regents Chairman Clay Blair said.
KU officials have said the increased tuition also would go toward salary increases for faculty, staff and graduate and research assistants, improving library and teaching facilities, recruitment of minority students and technological advances.
Some university leaders said their proposed tuition increases had nothing to do with enhancements, but were simply put in place to maintain the current level of performance.
The regents decision ended months of debate over tuition. Shulenburger would not speculate on what KU would seek next year, but many officials have said the goal is to double tuition over a five-year period.
KU’s tuition increase was the largest, slightly more than Kansas State’s 25.1 percent increase.
For resident undergraduates, Wichita State and Emporia State will each increase tuition by 9 percent, Pittsburg State by 11.4 percent and Fort Hays State by 6.4 percent.
Melissa Lacey/Journal-World PhotoTOPEKA ? The Kansas Board of Regents on Thursday approved a 25.2 percent tuition increase for resident, undergraduate students at Kansas University, part of a package of increases that KU officials promise will improve the school but some students say will produce a barrier to higher education.
The new rates, which will be in effect for the fall semester, will increase the tuition for a full-time, resident undergraduate to $1,460 per semester from $1,166 per semester, an increase of $294.
Nonresident undergraduate students will see a 9.3 percent tuition increase; resident graduate students, an 18.6 percent increase; and nonresident graduate students, an 8.6 percent increase.
“It’s going to provide much-needed enhancements and help us toward our goal of being a top-25 university,” KU Provost David Shulenburger said.
About 20 percent of the revenue generated by the tuition increase will be directed toward student financial aid.
KU students attending the regents’ meeting were upset.
“You are going to reduce access to KU by a significant amount,” said Justin Mills, a student at KU Medical Center and former student body president. “How many children are you telling, ‘You can’t come to KU’?”
But Shulenburger said that even with the increases, KU was inexpensive compared with most Big 12 Conference schools and KU’s so-called peer institutions across the country.
He said initial indications showed that even with the increases, the next freshman class probably would be larger than the previous one.
Mills wished those freshmen luck, saying that many of them would have to work outside school longer and harder to pay the higher tuition.
Regents members said they were sensitive to the burden they were placing on many families but that the payoff would come in improvements at the schools, which would increase the value of a degree from a Kansas regents university.
“We do know our universities are underfunded, and something has to be done,” Regent Lew Ferguson said.
And regents members were adamant that funds from the increased tuition be used for improvements and not to “backfill” funds that should have been appropriated by the Legislature.
“We are in very difficult times with the state budget. I want to be assured that the tuition increases are for enhancements and not be used to fill budget deficits,” Regents Chairman Clay Blair said.
KU officials have said the increased tuition also would go toward salary increases for faculty, staff and graduate and research assistants, improving library and teaching facilities, recruitment of minority students and technological advances.
Some university leaders said their proposed tuition increases had nothing to do with enhancements, but were simply put in place to maintain the current level of performance.
The regents decision ended months of debate over tuition. Shulenburger would not speculate on what KU would seek next year, but many officials have said the goal is to double tuition over a five-year period.
KU’s tuition increase was the largest, slightly more than Kansas State’s 25.1 percent increase.
For resident undergraduates, Wichita State and Emporia State will each increase tuition by 9 percent, Pittsburg State by 11.4 percent and Fort Hays State by 6.4 percent.
Melissa Lacey/Journal-World PhotoTOPEKA ? The Kansas Board of Regents on Thursday approved a 25.2 percent tuition increase for resident, undergraduate students at Kansas University, part of a package of increases that KU officials promise will improve the school but some students say will produce a barrier to higher education.
The new rates, which will be in effect for the fall semester, will increase the tuition for a full-time, resident undergraduate to $1,460 per semester from $1,166 per semester, an increase of $294.
Nonresident undergraduate students will see a 9.3 percent tuition increase; resident graduate students, an 18.6 percent increase; and nonresident graduate students, an 8.6 percent increase.
“It’s going to provide much-needed enhancements and help us toward our goal of being a top-25 university,” KU Provost David Shulenburger said.
About 20 percent of the revenue generated by the tuition increase will be directed toward student financial aid.
KU students attending the regents’ meeting were upset.
“You are going to reduce access to KU by a significant amount,” said Justin Mills, a student at KU Medical Center and former student body president. “How many children are you telling, ‘You can’t come to KU’?”
But Shulenburger said that even with the increases, KU was inexpensive compared with most Big 12 Conference schools and KU’s so-called peer institutions across the country.
He said initial indications showed that even with the increases, the next freshman class probably would be larger than the previous one.
Mills wished those freshmen luck, saying that many of them would have to work outside school longer and harder to pay the higher tuition.
Regents members said they were sensitive to the burden they were placing on many families but that the payoff would come in improvements at the schools, which would increase the value of a degree from a Kansas regents university.
“We do know our universities are underfunded, and something has to be done,” Regent Lew Ferguson said.
And regents members were adamant that funds from the increased tuition be used for improvements and not to “backfill” funds that should have been appropriated by the Legislature.
“We are in very difficult times with the state budget. I want to be assured that the tuition increases are for enhancements and not be used to fill budget deficits,” Regents Chairman Clay Blair said.
KU officials have said the increased tuition also would go toward salary increases for faculty, staff and graduate and research assistants, improving library and teaching facilities, recruitment of minority students and technological advances.
Some university leaders said their proposed tuition increases had nothing to do with enhancements, but were simply put in place to maintain the current level of performance.
The regents decision ended months of debate over tuition. Shulenburger would not speculate on what KU would seek next year, but many officials have said the goal is to double tuition over a five-year period.
KU’s tuition increase was the largest, slightly more than Kansas State’s 25.1 percent increase.
For resident undergraduates, Wichita State and Emporia State will each increase tuition by 9 percent, Pittsburg State by 11.4 percent and Fort Hays State by 6.4 percent.
