Resident tuition and fees at Kansas University have more than doubled in the past five years, from $2,884 in the 2001-2002 school year to $6,153 this year.

That makes KU’s tuition higher than the average of $4,836 for public four-year colleges nationwide. But some KU freshmen say it remains a more affordable option than other schools where they were admitted.

Lucy Santaularia, 18, a freshman from Lenexa, was accepted to pursue a nursing degree at William Jewell College in Missouri, where tuition and fees are $20,150 per year. But the school didn’t offer her enough financial aid, she said, and she liked the more diverse feeling of KU’s student body.

“I’m going to be in debt no matter where I go,” she said. “Definitely, finances were one of the main reasons I came to KU, but also because I felt like I’d meet more people.”

Scott Toland, 18, a freshman from Iola, got into Northwestern University – his “dream school” – but decided to attend KU after getting a full-ride scholarship to study journalism. Tuition at Northwestern is $33,408 per year.

“I figured I couldn’t go wrong coming to KU,” he said. “I think I’ve run into a few people that really wanted to go to schools that were just too expensive, but everybody I know is really happy to be at KU.”