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Kansas independent colleges highlight affordability and student-aid role in state budget
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Summary
The Kansas Independent College Association told the budget committee independent, nonprofit colleges enroll about 23,400 students statewide, award roughly 5,400 degrees annually and rely on state financial-aid programs such as the Kansas Comprehensive Grant to keep net costs down for Kansas students.
Matt Lindsey, president of the Kansas Independent College Association, told the House Committee on Higher Education Budget that the state's 21 nonprofit independent colleges serve roughly 23,400 students and deliver about 20% of the state's bachelor's degrees.
Lindsey said the sector's sticker price averages about $31,000 per year but that privately raised institutional aid reduces the average net cost to under $20,000 for students who receive institutional scholarships. “98% of the students don't pay that,” he said, referring to the sticker price.
Lindsey framed the sector's value as both educational and economic: his testimony said private colleges deliver a disproportionate share of graduates in fields such as nursing, counseling, law enforcement and teacher education, and he urged lawmakers to maintain the Kansas Comprehensive Grant (KCG), a state need-based grant that requires institutions to match funds and supports students at public and private institutions.
On the budget, Lindsey asked the Legislature to forward-fund financial aid programs so families know award levels earlier in the admissions cycle. He urged that any expansion of state student aid be deployed through vehicles that preserve student choice across sectors and cited KCG as his preferred tool because it supports Kansans regardless of institution type and requires documentation of need.
Committee members asked about enrollment patterns, on-time completion and graduate debt. Lindsey said residential undergraduate enrollment at KICA campuses rose 5.3% year-over-year and that the sector educates nearly half its students from out of state, which he described as a "brain-gain" for Kansas communities. He gave an average student-loan balance of about $21,000 for KICA graduates and said about 72% of KICA completers who finish ultimately do so in four years or less.
Why it matters: KICA institutions receive state financial-aid dollars that affect affordability for Kansas residents. Lindsey told lawmakers that KICA students get roughly $23 million from state-funded aid lines this year and that the KCG produces higher graduation rates for recipients.
No formal action was taken. Committee members asked KBOR and KICA to provide updated financial and award figures for use during FY2026 appropriation decisions.
