Independent colleges tell budget committee they enroll out-of-state students, deliver 20% of Kansas bachelor—s degrees

At a Committee on Higher Education Budget hearing, Matt Lindsay representing the Independent Colleges of Kansas told lawmakers that the state's 21 nonprofit independent colleges enroll just under 24,000 students and produce a disproportionate share of bachelor—s degrees.

"KICA institutions are serving just under 24,000 students," Lindsay said, adding that the cohort represents roughly 12% of the state's college population but accounts for about 20% of bachelor—s degrees awarded in Kansas. He said main-campus enrollments are up roughly 27% since the COVID-19 pandemic and that roughly 51% of KICA students now come from out of state.

Lindsay described KICA as a federation of independent institutions—"not a system"—that depends heavily on tuition revenue and private philanthropy to fund scholarships, campus projects and new programs. "Most of our scholarships and grants are funded by institutional sources," he said, noting that only a small share of aid comes from federal Pell and an even smaller portion from the state.

On student debt, Lindsay said the average debt for a KICA bachelor—s graduate is about $21,000, which he contrasted with other household purchases to argue Kansas is not in a "panic moment" on debt relative to national conversations.

Lindsay urged the committee to preserve the Kansas comprehensive grant, a roughly $40 million program he said is split evenly between public and private institutions and which he said improves completion rates. "The students who receive it are 10 percentage points more likely to graduate on time than their peers," he told members.

Committee members pressed Lindsay on partnerships, curriculum and cost metrics. Representative Haskins asked why community-college partnerships matter; Lindsay said place-bound students and face-to-face instruction make those relationships essential, noting examples such as Newman University—s on-site bachelor—s programs at Garden City Community College. Representative Amix asked about the 27% increase in main-campus enrollment and whether those students were primarily Kansas residents; Lindsay said about half are out-of-state students, a trend he characterized as a "brain gain" for Kansas.

On the question of sector-specific student aid lines, Lindsay told the committee there is no statutory guidance for some institution-level student aid funds and cautioned against limiting aid to a single sector. "We should support every Kansan's choice to go to whatever private or public university in the state they want to choose," he said.

The committee did not take formal action on the testimony. Lindsay agreed to follow up on requests for comparative student-cost-per-degree data and for any additional detail members requested.

The committee proceeded to the Kansas Board of Regents budget presentation after Lindsay—s remarks.