KU News Release

KU keeps tuition low in response to economic woes

Update: The Kansas Board of Regents approved KU’s tuition proposal on June 25, 2009. The likelihood of additional state budget cuts persuaded KU to propose a plan modified from its original proposal in May. http://www.news.ku.edu/2009/june/25/tuition0910.shtml

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas will remain affordable for students and their families, with 40 percent of undergraduates seeing no tuition increase in 2009-10 and the majority of the rest seeing only a 4 percent rise in rates, according to KU’s tuition proposal for the next academic year.

If approved by the Kansas Board of Regents at its June meeting, tuition generated by the plan would cover less than a quarter of the gap created by recent budget cuts and unfunded mandates stemming from the state budget crisis. As a result, the university would absorb a $24.5 million reduction in its budget beginning July 1.

To fill the budget gap, the university has made job cuts that will lead to larger class sizes and fewer course offerings. Efficiencies and cost savings on top of the $9 million already identified over the current and previous budget years also are being sought.

A 14 percent tuition increase at the Lawrence campus and a 51 percent increase at the KU Medical Center would be required to cover the entire budget gap, something university leaders said they rejected out-of-hand.

“We’ve said from the start that college must remain affordable for students and their families, especially during this recession,” said Chancellor Robert Hemenway. “We made it clear that budget gaps wouldn’t be closed with tuition increases.”

With the proposed increase, KU tuition and fees would remain well below the average cost of other public research universities.

“Forty percent of our undergraduates will have no tuition increase, thanks to the tuition compact, and the rest will see only modest increases,” Hemenway said. “That’s part of our pledge to keep high-quality higher education affordable for Kansas students and families.”

Juniors and sophomores under the Four-year Tuition Compact have locked-in rates and will see no change in tuition next year. The tuition compact rate for incoming freshmen will be 6 percent higher than last year’s compact rate but will be locked-in through the 2012-13 school year.

Student Senate leaders froze campus fees for the upcoming year with the explicit intent of protecting the tuition compact, even passing a resolution calling for it to be maintained.

“Students came to us with the idea for the tuition compact and they have expressed their strong desire to see it continue,” said Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Richard Lariviere. “They and their families appreciate the predictability it brings to college costs.”

The standard tuition rate, which covers seniors, transfers and graduate students, will increase 4 percent, as will tuition for medical students at the KU Medical Center.

Factoring the different tuition rates, KU’s overall funding from tuition is projected to rise 3.1 percent if the university’s proposal is accepted. Kansas students will continue to pay roughly half the cost of their education, with state funding and private sources covering the balance.

KU is a major comprehensive international research and teaching university that enrolls 30,000 students, attracting more Kansas students than any other school. It offers more than 40 nationally ranked academic programs and has nearly $300 million in annual research expenditures. It is seeking National Cancer Institute designation for its cancer center, which includes KU’s world-class drug discovery and development efforts.

-30-

The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.