Universities present FY2027 tuition and fee proposals; Emporia holds flat, others seek modest increases

The Kansas Board of Regents received first reads of FY2027 tuition and fee proposals from public universities on May 20, with institutions citing enrollment pressures, declines in international students and the need to preserve student success programs as drivers of requested changes.

Emporia State President Matthew Baker told the board his campus proposes no tuition increase for FY2027, citing stronger enrollment pipelines and internal efficiencies that allow the university to hold rates steady for another year. Baker said the university will convert a one‑time $20 graduation fee to a $3 per‑semester charge (a modest net change spread over four years).

Wichita State President Muma proposed a 3.8% overall increase (described as a 4.9% tuition increase in the tuition component) to address declines in international enrollment and to fund targeted program costs. John Wayne Wong, Wichita State's student speaker, said students were involved in budget reviews and supported investments in student success.

Fort Hays State's provost presented a per‑credit on‑campus increase of $9.78 and a $2.33 per‑credit fee increase (about <$200 per semester for a typical 15‑credit load); outgoing student leader Jackson Sincil said students participated on the recommendation committee and ultimately endorsed the package.

The University of Kansas presented a broadly middle‑of‑peer proposal (roughly 4% for Lawrence campus tuition increases with some adjustments at the medical center) and emphasized multi‑year internal reductions (about $37M recently) to concentrate resources on priority areas.

Kansas State University presented a multi‑component request that included a 4% resident undergraduate increase, 5.5% nonresident increases for Manhattan/Olathe campuses, adjustments to align Salina campus rates, and selected college‑level fee increases (including a larger per‑credit increase for the College of Agriculture and for Architecture, Planning & Design). Student representative Brady Caplman said the student fee and tuition committees unanimously supported the requests after a multi‑week review.

Pittsburg State proposed a 3.5% undergraduate tuition increase and targeted fee adjustments to sustain the Great Gorilla scholarship program and offset state funding declines; student Corey Humble described student committee discussions that prioritized reallocation of existing funds and small, targeted fee increases for student services.

Context from the enrollment report: KBOR staff said system headcount rose 3.2% in AY2025 and online course delivery increased substantially since 2020 (systemwide share of credit hours delivered online rose to 35.3%), but institutions noted longer‑term headcount declines since 2012 and sharp drops in international enrollments at several campuses. Several presenters tied tuition proposals to enrollment and workforce alignment considerations.

What’s next: All proposals were presented as first reads and will return for final action at the June meeting. Several regents asked for additional detail on employer demand and asked to see the employer survey that BASC plans to launch over the summer in connection with other policy items.

Representative quotes: "We are excited and proud at Emporia State to propose no tuition increase for our students for next year," Emporia State President Baker said. "We want to keep costs affordable while supporting student success."

"Students were able to hear and understand the budget transformation and are pro‑supporting the tuition increase," K‑State student Brady Caplman said.