WSU seeks 4th year of increased tuition. How does it compare to other schools?

Wichita State University is seeking to raise student tuition again this year.

If approved, this will be the fourth straight year of increased tuition for the Shockers.

In a tuition and fee proposal presented to the Kansas Board of Regents on Wednesday, university officials requested a 4.9% tuition increase, including undergraduate, graduate and non-resident rates.

The mandatory student fees would remain the same under this plan, meaning a combined 3.8% tuition and fees increase.

The proposed increase comes as the university says it faces “challenging international enrollment trends, increases in mandatory operating costs such as utilities and leases, increases to employer benefits costs, and reductions in state funding.”

In the last three years, Wichita State tuition increased 13.3%. This followed two years of no increases.

This year’s request could be approved or amended at KBOR’s June meeting.

“Our proposal is firmly grounded in supporting the three priorities of the university strategic plan,” David Miller, WSU’s senior vice president for administration, finance and operations,” told regents this week. Those priorities include access and affordability for families, a talent pipeline that supports Kansas businesses and higher education that increases economic prosperity across the state.

If approved as presented, a full-time WSU undergraduate student from Kansas would see their tuition and fees bill rise from $4,973.55 to $5,164.50 — an increase of $190.95 per semester, or $12.73 per credit hour. At WSU, full-time undergraduate student rates are based on 15 credit hours per semester.

Are other Kansas universities increasing tuition?

Of the six state universities under the Kansas Board of Regents, all but one are requesting tuition increases. The outlier, Emporia State University, is requesting only a $3 student fee increase.

The proposed combined tuition and fee increases for full-time resident undergraduates are listed below:

• Fort Hays State University — 5.9%
• University of Kansas, Lawrence — 5%
• Kansas State University, Manhattan — 4.1%
• Wichita State University — 3.8%
• Pittsburg State University — 3.3%
• Emporia State University — 0.1%

“The state universities all cite expense pressures in their general use budgets, notably for workforce recruitment and retention, core operations such as utilities, building maintenance and operation, and technology and compliance (software, cybersecurity and accreditation expenses),” KBOR said in the fiscal year 2027 proposals document. “The universities are not seeking to raise tuition rates in anticipation of covering these growing expenses entirely. The tuition proposals all incorporate budget reductions, reallocations, and/or some use of cash reserves.”

How much is tuition at each state university?

In fiscal year 2026, the full-time Kansas undergraduate student tuition and required fee rates were as follows:

• University of Kansas, Lawrence — $6,317.40
• Kansas State University, Manhattan — $5,789.79
• Wichita State University — $4,973.55
• Pittsburg State University — $4,299.50
• Emporia State University — $3,607.74
• Fort Hays State University — $3,055.95