Higher tuition rates in other states may be pushing more students to state universities in Kansas.

The Kansas Board of Regents reported Thursday that 88,270 students were enrolled in its six universities, an increase of 0.8 percent from last year. Included in the figure was a 1,415 student increase — 7.3 percent — in out-of-state enrollment.

“I’d say simply judging by tuition costs in Kansas, out-of-state students are realizing they’re getting a great education for a low price,” said regents spokesman Kip Peterson.

Although Kansas universities have seen large tuition increases recently, tuition has climbed even more in other states. A recent survey by regents staff showed tuition rates at Kansas University, Kansas State University and Wichita State University were about 20 percent below peer schools.

Peterson said he couldn’t explain why 745 fewer Kansas residents were enrolled this fall at state universities. That’s a decrease of 1.1 percent from a year ago.

But he said the overall enrollment jump pleased regents.

“Any increase is a positive sign,” Peterson said.

The enrollment figures reported Thursday — the official 20th day of classes for all state universities — ranged from a 4 percent decrease at WSU to a 15.3 percent increase at Fort Hays State University.

Like KU, which saw a 1.1 percent enrollment increase, KSU saw a moderate increase of 101 students, or 0.4 percent. The 23,151 students enrolled at K-State are the largest student body in the university’s history.

KSU officials also were boasting about their freshman class, which includes 342 freshmen who were first or second in their classes — another school record.

“This may be K-State’s best and brightest class ever, and that is saying a lot because we have had so many outstanding students at K-State,” K-State President Jon Wefald said.

Fort Hays’ increase of 1,127 students was attributed, in part, to incomplete data from last year.

The university last year didn’t include enrollment in its classes at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, one of four partner universities in China. In a news release, FHSU said the data didn’t arrive in time to be included in its 20th-day reporting.

Including the final student count at the Beijing campus from last year would result in a 5.5 percent enrollment increase at FHSU.

The 8,500 students on campus is a record for the university. The largest increase was in FHSU’s Virtual College, which saw an increase of 42.3 percent, to 3,777 students.

The remaining three state universities reported declines in enrollment.

At WSU, which saw the largest dip, officials attributed the decline, in part, to admitting fewer students who do not meet the state’s qualified admissions standards. Each university is allowed to have the exceptions make up no more than 10 percent of its freshman class. WSU admitted 43 freshman who didn’t meet the academic qualifications, down from 136 last year.

Other factors, they said, included a drop in part-time students — a result of closing one satellite campus and a reduced presence at another — and fewer international students.

Pittsburg State University officials attributed a 2.9 percent decrease to a decline in graduate student and part-time enrollment. There were 38 fewer undergraduate students, compared with 156 fewer graduate students.

Emporia State University had a 1.3 percent decrease in enrollment. But ESU officials said they considered their enrollment of 6,194 to be a “solid student body.”