Topeka ? The cost of room and board at Kansas University would go up 2.65 percent under a proposal before the Kansas Board of Regents.

Currently, the combined room and meal plan for a typical double-occupancy room at a residence hall at KU is $6,802, according to a regents memo.

Under the proposal, that would increase by $180 to $6,982 per academic year. More than 5,000 students live in student housing at KU.

The six regents schools are proposing increases ranging from 1 percent at Fort Hays State University to 4.7 percent at Pittsburg State University. Kansas State University has proposed a 3 percent increase, which would raise its $6,752 rate by $202 to $6,954.

The regents will consider the increases at their meeting next Thursday with final action due in December.

The increases “will enable the housing and dining operations to continue providing exceptional on-campus living experiences, which means a great value for the students’ dollars,” Diana Robertson, director of the Department of Student Housing, said in a memo to the regents.

Even with the proposed increases, the cost of room and board will remain below the average for public institutions in the Midwest, the regents staff said.