As a father of eight children, I can tell you that tuition and fees have increased steadily at what seems like every university and college in the nation during the past four years.

It’s certainly true for public universities in the Midwest. But several points distinguish our approach at Kansas University.

First, despite a steady rise in tuition, KU still remains one of higher education’s best buys. The Fiske Guide and other third-party surveys bear this out. KU is on Fiske’s current list of the 14 best buys in U.S. public higher education, comparing academic quality to the cost of attendance.

Some people overlook KU’s moderate cost and high quality because they focus on the annual percentage tuition increase instead of the absolute dollar increase. But as any freshman can tell you, students pay in dollars, not percentages.

Here’s an example: A recent chart in USA Today on tuition and fee increases at 75 flagship public universities showed that costs at Illinois State rose 13.6 percent this year, a hair lower than KU’s 13.7 percent. The absolute dollar increase? At Illinois State, tuition and fees rose $923; at KU, $740. KU’s tuition and fees are $6,153, considerably lower than Illinois State’s $7,724.

In fact, 31 of the nation’s 75 flagship public universities charge higher tuition and fees than KU. It’s easy to see why KU students have supported KU’s tuition proposals.

Some reporters looked at that same USA Today chart and erroneously concluded that our out-of-state undergraduate students haven’t been hit as hard as our in-state undergraduates because the percentage tuition increase was lower. In fact, since academic year 2002-03, KU tuition and fees have risen $4,436 for out-of-state students compared with $2,669 for in-state. Tuition and fees this year for out-of-state students will total $15,123, compared to $6,153 for in-state.

A second factor to keep in mind is that KU is keenly aware of how increases affect family pocketbooks. We’ve worked hard to keep KU accessible and affordable to those families who rely on financial assistance.

Twenty percent of KU tuition enhancement revenue each of the past five years has gone to tuition grants (which do not have to be paid back) for students with the most need. This school year, more than $9.3 million in tuition grants will go to more than 4,300 KU students, with awards of up to $2,500 per student.

Tuition grants may also contribute to the low debt rate of seniors. We’re studying the results of a recent survey of KU seniors that showed 56 percent had no student-loan debt when they graduated from KU; for the 44 percent with loan debt, the student-reported average was $16,359, below the national average for graduating seniors.

A third point: For five years, we have worked very closely with our students to identify the best uses of tuition revenue. It has gone to support much-needed funding for high priority programs such as student advising, career and placement services, minority recruitment and mentoring programs, new technology for labs and classrooms, and the hiring of new faculty. Students have seen the pay off from these targeted investments.

This coming year we will continue to explore with the Regents a concept raised by our students: a guaranteed tuition plan, which would offer a fixed based tuition rate during a student’s four years as an undergraduate. We know that families would appreciate some degree of predictability in tuition rates as their children head to college. We believe the plan also could provide an incentive to students to graduate in four years.

No university wants to raise tuition. We’d prefer not to. But state funding covers only about 24 percent of KU’s budget. Retaining a high quality faculty, supporting computers and equipping classrooms for a “best buy” university carry a price tag.

We will continue to look for ways to cut administrative costs and devote maximum resources to the classroom. We also will do whatever is necessary to provide a high degree of access to prepared students while we support a first-rate university for the citizens of Kansas.