TOPEKA, KAN. ----- The Kansas Board of Regents approved tuition proposals from the six state universities for the upcoming 2014-2015 academic year.
The newly-established resident undergraduate rate for tuition & required fees range from a 2.5 percent increase at Fort Hays State University to a 5.7 percent increase at Kansas State University-Salina.
"These approved tuition rates represent the lowest overall tuition increases in 13 years," stated Chairman Fred Logan.
One of the primary responsibilities of the Board, as defined in state law, is to set tuition and fees at the state universities. The transparent process begins in January each year, and guidance is provided to universities over the next four months.
In May, each university submits a detailed written proposal to the Board and a presentation is given by the university's chief executive officer, which includes a description of how students and other campus constituents were involved in the drafting of the proposal, projected enrollment, use of tuition revenue, measures taken to cut costs in order to keep proposals as modest as possible, and a detailed tuition analysis.
"With $6.5 million of revenue for this next year coming from reallocation savings, universities are working hard to operate as efficiently as possible and keep tuition increases minimal," noted Regent Kenny Wilk, who will next serve as Chair of the Board of Regents.
Regent Shane Bangerter, incoming Vice-Chair of the Board, gave his remarks during the morning's Fiscal Affairs and Audit Committee meeting, stating: "We are pleased with these revised proposals, which reflect tuition increases near inflation levels and are understandable given the challenges we will face to gain additional state resources in this upcoming legislative session."
The Board does not use a "one-size-fits-all" approach, rather, the current philosophy is to set tuition and fees independently for each state university.
This is to ensure tuition rates reflect each university's own unique niche - differing missions, program offerings, geographic locations, and competitive environments.
Complete tuition proposals are available online at:
http://www.kansasregents.org/resources/PDF/3040-FY2015TuitionFinal.pdf.
