The upward march of tuition costs continues at state universities.

Under orders from state legislators and the Kansas Board of Regents, all six state universities held their combined increase in tuition and fees to 3.6 percent for the coming academic year. That’s lower than increases approved in many recent years, but it continues a trend that is putting a university degree financially out of reach for many students.

University leaders and regents say the increases are needed to offset the decline in the percentage of university budgets covered by state funding, which certainly is reasonable, but the huge increases in the cost of higher education over the last several decades still are shocking. Tuition at Kansas University is more than five times what it was 40 years ago. An entering Kansas freshman at KU will pay tuition of more than $5,000 a semester this fall.

In a positive development, KU freshmen, for the first time this fall, will be able to opt out of the compact tuition program that guarantees they will pay the same tuition for four years. KU freshmen who enter the compact tuition program will pay $5,412 per semester. Freshmen who opt out of that program and other non-compact students will pay $5,028. The compact tuition is a good deal for students who earn a degree in four years, but it raises the cost for students who, for any reason, are unable to do that. It’s good to let families choose whether to enter the compact program.

The cost of a college education is forcing many families to make difficult financial choices. What used to be a manageable expense now is driving many families and students to assume debts that will take many years to pay off. A college education still has value, but many would-be students are having to think twice about making that investment. Taking basic courses at a community college before attending the university or simply choosing to pursue a two-year technical degree can become attractive options.

Having the Kansas Legislature dictate tuition limits, as it did this year, takes away a key responsibility of the Board of Regents and state universities. Nonetheless, the fact that the cost of higher education continues to rise so dramatically should concern public university officials in Kansas and across the nation. It certainly concerns the students and families who must pay tuition.