06/20/14 br/kb
Tuition for Kansas Board of Regents institutions gained final Regent approval Thursday, with increases in undergraduate and graduate in-state rates for all six of the universities.

Fort Hays State University is increasing tuition by the lowest amount of all the Regents four-year institutions, both in terms of percentages and in dollars.

But with differences in fees and with certain additional charges, it can be difficult to make a useful comparison of what a college education cost at different institutions. The following comparisons can give a good estimate of the institutional cost for tuition and fees.

The numbers are based on the approved tuition for 2014-2015 and assume a 15-hour semester. The numbers are for a hypothetical business major so that the comparison can be apples to apples. Each of the six Regents universities has a business major, but four of them also charge differential rates, called course fees, based on certain majors, such as business, medical, veterinary, nursing and others.

However, all have business majors, so the comparison that follows is what it would cost a Kansas resident on-campus undergraduate business major for a 15-credit-hour semester in tuition and fees beginning in fall 2014. They are arranged from lowest to highest total cost.

Fort Hays State University
Tuition and fees for 2014 to 2015: $2,234.25
This is an increase of $55.20 per semester (2.5 percent) from 2013 to 2014.
Fort Hays State does not charge course fees.

Emporia State University
Tuition and fees for 2014 to 2015: $2,963.00
This is an increase of $156.00 per semester (5.6 percent) from 2013 to 2014.
Emporia State does not charge course fees for business majors.

Pittsburg State University
Tuition and fees for 2014 to 2015: $3,115.00
This is an increase of $162.00 per semester (5.5 percent) from 2013 to 2014.
Pittsburg State does not charge course fees.

Wichita State University
Tuition and fees for 2014 to 2015: $3,723.00
With six hours of business courses (some semesters would be less, some more, totaling about 45 percent of coursework over an undergraduate career), the business major would pay the base tuition of $3633 plus another $90.
The base tuition is an increase of $169.75 per semester (4.9 percent) from 2013 to 2014. The business course fee of $15 per semester did not increase.

Kansas State University
Tuition and fees for 2014 to 2015: $4,637.20
With six hours of business courses (some semesters would be less, some more, totaling about 45 percent of coursework over an undergraduate career), the business major would pay the base tuition of $4,517.20 plus another $120.
The base tuition is an increase of $224.50 per semester (5.2 percent) from 2013 to 2014. The business course fee of $20 did not increase.

University of Kansas
Tuition and fees for 2014 to 2015: $5,611.09
With six hours of business courses (some semesters would be less, some more, totaling about 45 percent of coursework over an undergraduate career), the business major would pay the base tuition of $4,853.29 plus another $757.80.
This is an increase of $214.49 per semester (4.6 percent) from 2013 to 2014 in the base tuition. The business course fee of $126.30 is an increase of $6.60 per credit hour (5.51 percent) from 2013 to 2014.

"At Fort Hays State University, we are committed to student access and student success," said FHSU President Edward H. Hammond. "The new tuition and fees that KBOR approved continues to position FHSU as the best buy in the state of Kansas."