By James Bell
Hays Post
Wednesday, the Kanas Board of Regents released tuition and fee proposals for the 2019-2020 academic year, with Fort Hays State University seeking no tuition increases.
However, students still may see higher costs next year from fee increases.
Cost increases are expected to be absorbed by a 2 percent growth in enrollment, according to the proposal to the regents.
“Fort Hays State University will be the lowest cost four-year institution in the State, and is expected to continue to be the fifth lowest in the nation as reported in U.S. News and World Report,” the proposal said.
“The University believes it has a responsibility to operate as efficiently as possible as is evident by its utility management operations, blended use of full-time and part-time faculty, and continued use of internal construction resources.”
Fort Hays is the only school in the Regents system seeking no tuition increase.
Despite the request to keep tuition the same, on-campus students may still see higher costs next year.
The university asked for fee increases that would raise the cost of attendance by up to 2.8 percent or to $70.80 per semester.
The majority of the proposed fee increase was approved by the University Student Government or by referendum. Additional fee increases are based on a matching a three-year rolling average of the Higher Education Price Index.
The report lists Fort Hays as having the lowest cumulative tuition increase for resident undergraduate students over the last decade with an increase of 35.7 percent, with all other Regents schools’ tuition increasing over 50 percent since 2010.