Kansas public universities present mixed tuition and fee proposals at Board of Regents first reading

TOPEKA, Kan. — Representatives from Kansas public universities presented first readings of tuition and fee proposals to the Board of Regents’ Fiscal Affairs and Audit Standing Committee on May 14. The committee did not take final action on tuition — the board’s June meeting is the scheduled decision point — but committee members and student leaders used the session to outline proposed changes and the institutions’ budget priorities.

The first reading matters because tuition and campus fees fund salary pools, student success initiatives and program-specific costs that universities say they must cover amid shifting state support and declining or unstable enrollment in some programs.

Pittsburg State University proposed a 2.5% undergraduate tuition increase — about $78 per semester for a full‑time resident — with no increase for graduate tuition, a continuing phase‑in of program fees for technology and a new College of Business fee. “We are proposing a 2 and a half percent tuition increase for undergraduates,” said Doug, a Pittsburg State presenter. The campus also plans a $50 increase in the per‑semester cap on certain program fees (from $300 to $350) and a $20 per credit‑hour business fee capped at $300 per semester phased in over two years. Student presenter Hannah said the student fee council backed modest fee increases to support student recreation and activities and that “the students ... were in complete favor of this increase.”

Emporia State University recommended combining two technology fees into a single $15 per credit‑hour charge to maintain current technology funding and proposed standardizing dozens of existing course fees by replacing them with per‑credit fees tailored by school (for example, Teachers College roughly $11 per credit, nursing $25 per credit, music $15 per credit, many math and science course fees moved to about $5 per credit). Angela Wilgram and student representative Aswad Biyarif said ESU’s university leadership is proposing no tuition increase for fiscal 2026, citing recent regional funding and internal budget realignment. The tuition‑committee recommendation (a 3% suggestion) and the university proposal diverged; ESU’s leadership told Regents it would present a 0% tuition increase.

Fort Hays State University proposed tuition increases that the campus framed in dollar‑per‑credit terms: a resident undergraduate increase of $6.27 per credit (about a 4% increase, roughly $94 per semester) and smaller percentage increases for online students. Wesley Lynch said the recommended tuition changes, together with a $0 change in mandatory fees overall, are intended to cover inflationary costs and support student success work and ERP and advising tools. Grace McCord, Fort Hays’ legislative affairs director, described a reallocation of a $6 bond payment that will reassign those dollars to student services; a student referendum approved a $2 athletics increase where required under the institution’s bylaws.

Kansas State University described a multi‑year alignment of campus rates, a proposed 3.5% tuition increase at Manhattan and Olathe for both undergraduate and graduate online enrollments, and a 2.5% request for veterinary medicine. The university also proposed a $5 per credit increase to a college fee in Arts & Sciences to support advising and teaching assistants and reiterated plans to begin more base‑funding of select programs previously supported by one‑time state allocations.

Wichita State University presented a 3.5% tuition increase proposal that the campus projects would generate roughly $3.4 million. Chief concerns at Wichita State included a sharp recent decline in international enrollment and an expected athletics cost increase tied to a pending NCAA settlement. President’s staff and David Miller explained the university planned a 4.8% general university (GU) budget reduction distributed across divisions to address an estimated $7 million athletics impact that includes settlement‑related obligations and reduced ticket revenue.

The University of Kansas proposed a 3% undergraduate tuition increase and a 5% graduate increase, with a student‑fee recommendation developed by students of roughly 2% (about $10.45). KU student leader Megan said the fee committee reviewed roughly $50 million in requests and recommended directing most of the student fee increase to campus operations and mental‑health/wellness services.

Across campuses many leaders stressed the same constraints: state funding increases that do not fully cover salary or inflationary pressures, reductions or uncertainty in targeted programs such as NIST‑funded student success dollars, and enrollment shifts that have forced institutions to reallocate or re‑prioritize spending. Several institutions emphasized phased or targeted program fees (technology, business, lab fees) as a mechanism to keep base tuition lower for general education programs while covering higher instructional costs in specific disciplines.

No final votes on the tuition proposals were taken during the committee’s May 14 meeting; the Board of Regents will consider formal action at a later meeting. The committee did receive published documentation and first‑reading materials for public review, and student leaders from multiple campuses participated in committee hearings.