Topeka ? Students at Kansas University will pay 5-8.3 percent more in tuition and fees per semester starting this fall.

A divided Kansas Board of Regents approved the increase at their monthly meeting in Topeka this morning.

Students affected include resident and non-resident undergraduates and resident and non-resident graduates at KU, Kansas State University, Wichita State University, Emporia State University, Pittsburg State University and Fort Hays State University.

Many KU students who are already in KU’s four-year guaranteed tuition compact will see no increase. The university said that incoming freshmen’s tuition rates will remain stable for four years. Transfer students and students who have been at KU for more than four years pay the standard tuition rate.

Regents approved the standard KU tuition rate on a 6-3 vote with regents Jill Docking, Gary Sherrer and Donna Shank against the proposal.

Shank and Sherrer also voted against the compact rate, but the KUMC tuition rate was approved unanimously.

While regents expressed concern about the impact of rising tuition on Kansas families, a majority agreed that the state’s universities had to be able to recoup some of the damage done by state budget cuts and other rising costs.

“We really have to decide what kind of education we want,” said Regent Dan Lykins of Topeka. “Quality education or generic education?”

Shank, Sherrer and Docking also voted against the Kansas State tuition proposal. Emporia State, Pittsburg State and Fort Hays State all had their tuition proposals without dissent.

Wichita State’s proposal was approved 8-1, with only Sherrer dissenting.

KU Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little said KU’s tuition was one of the lower among schools in the Association of American Universities, a prestigious group of research universities.

“(Tuition) certainly has gone up as indicated this morning,” Gray-Little said after the meeting. “But it is still relatively low by comparison with our peers and we are still considered a very good value in education.”

Danny Anderson, KU’s interim provost, said that he thought KU should take the advice of some regents and be more explicit about its goals and aspirations in the future.

He said KU’s tuition proposal was crafted to get to the smallest amount possible while still providing the kind of education students expect.

“The regents care deeply about higher education,” Anderson said. “I’m pleased that, overall, there’s support for our proposal.”

Below are the per semester tuition increases for KU students. You can view the increases for all of the universities by downloading the Kansas Board of Regents June agenda and viewing the table on page 89:

Resident Undergraduate (Standard)

• 2010: $3,706.85
• 2011: $4,012.45
• Increase: $305.60, 8.2 percent

Resident Undergraduate (Compact)

• 2010: $4,102.85
• 2011: $4,366.45
• Increase: $263.60, 6.4 percent

Non-resident Undergraduate (Standard)

• 2010: $9,048.35
• 2011: $9,503.95
• Increase: $455.60, 5 percent

Non-resident Undergraduate (Compact)

• 2010: $10,087.10
• 2011: $10,769.20
• Increase: $682.10, 6.8 percent

Resident Graduate

• 2010: $3,669.35
• 2011: $3,974.95
• Increase: $305.60, 8.3 percent

Non-resident Graduate

• 2010: $8,178.35
• 2011: $8,723.95
• Increase: $545.60, 6.7 percent