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Regents committee tables Apply Free Days decision after discussion of participation, yields and institutional costs
Summary
KBOR staff reported large growth in Apply Kansas participation and mixed yield results for Apply Free Days. Provosts told the committee processing the three‑day fee waiver produces significant costs for institutions; the committee voted to table the decision until the next board meeting while provosts gather additional cost and process data.
Misty Knox, who leads KBOR’s Apply Kansas efforts, told the Board of Regents BASC committee that participation in Apply Kansas and the three‑day Apply Free Days initiative grew substantially in 2024 but that early yield metrics and institutional processing costs require further study.
"In 2024, we saw a significant increase in participation," Knox said, noting that 301 schools registered for Apply Kansas in 2024 and 259 of those schools reported data. She also said 253 of 286 school districts — about 89% — participated in some fashion. Knox reported 22,808 applications submitted in the Apply Kansas events (about 60% to public institutions) and that the initiative produced cost savings for families.
KBOR staff presented Apply Free Days pilot‑period figures tied to the November 2023 free application dates. For public institutions, 9,871 applications were submitted during the free days; 9,294 were actionable (complete), 8,733 were admitted, and 2,593 enrolled in the reported 2024 terms — a 30% yield among admitted students who applied during the free days. Across all applications for the 2024 enrollment terms (including free‑day applications), public institutions reported 91,707 total applications and a 49% yield; excluding free‑day submissions, the yield rose to 52%. Knox said the state’s Apply Free Days events saved students and families an estimated $481,570 in waived application fees during 2024.
Several provosts and admissions leaders told the committee the institutional cost and staff time to process the concentrated three‑day surge is substantial. Provost Barb Bickelmeyer (University of Kansas) said KU’s processing costs were "to the tune of... multiple tens of thousands of dollars, if not about $100,000" and offered to provide finer data. Fort Hays’ reported processing cost for the three‑day period was $51,570; KU’s figure provided during the meeting was $132,280. One provost estimated fees lost statewide at roughly $165,000 in application fees alone.
Committee members pressed for additional, student‑level (unit record) data to remove duplicate counts (students who applied to multiple institutions during the free days) and to measure true enrollment yield over time; KBOR staff said a unit‑record collection through the KEDS AY system will be available next October and will provide more precise linkage between Apply Free Days applications and subsequent enrollments.
After discussion, Chair Regent Mendoza moved to table the committee’s recommendation on Apply Free Days until the next board meeting so provosts and enrollment leaders could gather and share additional process and cost data; Regent Alicia Johnston seconded. The committee voted in favor of tabling the item; the chair said the motion passed. KBOR staff will report the committee’s deliberations to the board at today’s board meeting and include the committee’s request for additional data.
