The Kansas Board of Regents voted unanimously on June 11 to approve the proposed tuition rates for each state university in Kansas, averaging the state tuition increase at 3.9%. Kansas State is set for a 3.5% or $179.25 increase in tuition for resident, full-time undergraduate students, and a 3.5% or $482.82 increase for non-resident undergraduate students. In addition, the Veterinary Medicine program will get a 2.5% or $297.99 tuition increase, and the College of Arts and Sciences will get an additional $5 per credit hour fee to support resources for both colleges.
Vice president for Administration and Finance Ethan Erickson said the increase in tuition rates addresses priorities for student success, such as compensation for faculty and staff as well as renovations for general-use classrooms.
“Authorizing a salary plan so that we [administration] are making sure that we are competitive with our pay for our faculty and staff, so that way we attract the best faculty for our students and the best staff that supports the university, that was one of the key major investment areas that we said is why we need a tuition rate increase,” Erickson said. “Another area of effort that we have underway is renovations of our classrooms that we have at the university…What I hope is that the impact really does provide a higher quality of education.”
According to the Kansas Campus Restoration Act, $8,970,000 is allocated to K-State each fiscal year for the next six years from 2026. Michael McClure, Dean of the College of Architecture, Planning and Design, said the timeline for renovation projects for Seaton Hall is still in the works.
“Those renovations are coming in the next couple of years,” McClure said. According to Dean McClure, in addition to the KBOR tuition increase, an added fee is being proposed for the College of Architecture, Planning and Design.
“This fee does ensure that our students have top-notch facilities. They pay for the things that go into the building, like furniture and technology.”
Dean McClure explains that the administration determined an increase in fees was necessary based on research conducted over several months, as well as surveys sent out to students asking for their input. A crucial part of their research was comparing the different colleges.
“I wouldn’t ask the students to pay more money unless I had really good reasons and really good comparative data, so the first thing I was interested in is how our fees compare to everyone else on campus,” Dean McClure said.
To Dean McClure’s surprise, the College of AP Design is one of the more expensive colleges in which students can be enrolled.
“It turns out we have the third-highest fee of any college,” McClure said. “I then wondered how our fees compare to regional schools, so we started with looking at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Kansas of course, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma University. Then we wanted to get a comparison of how much people are paying for our state school peers. … When you add the increase, we are still less expensive than all of those schools.”
McClure said the fees support resources for AP Design students, such as professional development programs, IT support, equipment and renovations to the first floor of Seaton Central as well as Seaton 57, which is a general-use classroom.
Erickson said the department faculty are intentional about staying connected to the student government and advocating for student needs in regards to increasing tuition.
“We engage in student government, specifically with the tuition and fee strategy committee … we’ve probably had about four or five different meetings to talk about the need for that tuition rate increase,” Erickson said. “We got their support and took it back up to KBOR, and they voted to authorize it, so in both processes, we are trying to make sure that we are engaging with the students in conversations about where those dollars need to go. … We are also very cognizant of what the total cost of attendance for students is, and how that is comparative to our market competitors.”
McClure wants every K-State student to be well-informed as to why the administration felt this increase in fees was necessary and said students should anticipate more information about the increasing fees in the upcoming weeks.
During an all-school meeting, McClure plans to give a presentation explaining the reasons for the pricing of their funds and how it contributes to improving their education. Students should also expect a survey that will give the administration more input.
“I hope that students understand the value of their education and the value of their degree, as it reflects in what they are paying. … The administration is being very rational; they will support it [increase in fees],” McClure said.
The administration is seeking the students’ support for the fee proposal before taking it to the Student Governing Association. McClure said their primary focus is ensuring students receive a high-quality education by aligning their standards with the students’ standards.
“The college fees go to every student; it improves the quality of their education,” McClure said. “We need the students’ support in order to continue to give them professional development support, the IT support, the building support, and even after these fees, still being the most affordable program. The fee is being used well and going right back to them.”
