Kansas State University is aiming to simplify its tuition and fee payment structure.
While the university notes a $57 per semester increase in tuition beginning in 2022, it’s offset by a $67 decrease in overall fees for a net savings of $10 per semester for in-state undergraduates at the Manhattan campus taking courses in-person and online.
The move comes after the coronavirus pandemic highlighted the complicating structure which had K-State charging more for online courses than for in-person courses, based on a number of fees it was charging. When students were forced into fully online classes in spring 2020, it became apparent K-State would be at a competitive disadvantage if the former structure continued.
“The likelihood that they would never take an online class, particularly post-pandemic is very, very slim,” said Karen Goos, K-State’s Vice Provost for Enrollment Management. She introduced K-State’s proposal to the Kansas Board of Regents Wednesday afternoon.
Goos says even pre-pandemic, 88 percent of K-State students took at least some sort of an online course during their school career.
“This would eliminate our global campus online course fees that we’ve associated with it, as well as our summer and intersession and our Olathe campus fee,” she said.
The new structure is based on a redistribution of historical tuition and fee rates. K-State is not proposing any increases to cover higher operating costs or declining enrollments.
“When we look at total cost of attendance, an average student is going to see that reduction in cost, particularly an average in-state student who were beginning to take online courses, as part of their program,” she said.
The university is no longer charging in-state tuition rates for those who were taking classes online. Goos says this will increase the cost of the base tuition for some students but says the actual impact will be significantly less.
“Of students who took an online class, almost 75 percent of them are actually already receiving a tuition discount, so they’re receiving an out-of-state tuition waiver, so it helps normalize what they’ll see on their bill, along with their scholarships,” she said.
The Board of Regents will vote on university tuition proposals at their June meeting.
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