Guidance counselor Julie Worth said the high school students she advises will feel the effects of planned university tuition increases, but she’s not sure Kansas University will take a major enrollment hit.

“I think there will be kids who opt for a junior college for a couple of years, but there will be families who absorb that debt,” she said.

Worth, a counselor at Olathe North High School, was one of about 130 high school officials who on Tuesday attended KU’s Principal/Counselor Student Conference.

The group was in Lawrence to hear updates on financial aid and admissions procedures.

Counselors and principals also heard David Shulenburger, KU’s provost and executive vice chancellor, give reasons why KU and Kansas State University are pursuing major tuition increases.

“My message to you today is one I’d rather not give: We must charge students more to retain the quality of both institutions,” Shulenburger said.

As he has done in more than 25 presentations since November, Shulenburger said KU was behind its peers in funding.

He said increases of $250 to $550 per year for each of the next five years were likely, which would result in a total increase of $1,250 to $2,750. Tuition and fees at KU now are about $2,884 per year.

Worth agreed that a tuition increase seemed inevitable.

“I don’t think the Legislature is funding education adequately, and it’s not giving our administrators much of a choice,” she said.

Melessa Demo, a counselor at Lawrence High School, said the timing of the tuition increase  universities will make their presentations to the Board of Regents in April, with a regents decision in May  has been a challenge for some seniors who don’t know how much they’ll pay for college.

“Hopefully we won’t price them out of a college education,” she said.