TOPEKA – Kansas University is proposing a 6-percent increase in its tuition rate for all undergraduate and graduate students.When students fees – which are controlled by the Student Senate – are added to the equation, KU is proposing a 6.7-percent increase in tuition and fees for resident undergraduate and graduate students. The increase would be 6.3 percent for nonresident undergraduates and graduate students.The discrepancy is explained because fees are a set amount for all students, and nonresident students pay a higher tuition rate.That tuition increase, however, does not take into account the students who are paying a set tuition rate under the four-year tuition compact introduced last year. Those students – incoming freshmen in fall 2007 – will pay the same amount they paid last year.Incoming freshmen in fall 2008 will pay a guaranteed rate that is 8.8 percent higher than this year’s freshmen, $231.45 per semester versus $213 per credit hour. KU points out that for those freshmen, this amounts to a tuition increase of 2.2 percent per year – however, it’s all front loaded so they pay the same amount this in 2008-09 as they will in 2011-2012.Additionally, the School of Social Welfare will become the last professional school at KU to implement its own course fee. Course fees are retained by the school levying the fee. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the only academic division that doesn’t levy a course fee.While Kansas State initially indicated it would propose a 3.5-percent increase for all undergraduates and 4.1 percent for resident graduate students, 4.4 percent for nonresident graduate students, it altered that policy recently to a higher increase. Citing the smaller-than-desired funding increase by the Kansas Legislature, K-State is proposing a 4.5-percent increase for resident freshmen and sophomores, 7.2 percent for resident juniors and senior and 5.7 percent for resident graduate students. For nonresidents, the increases are 4.5 percent for freshmen and sophomores, 7.4 percent for juniors and senior and 5.7 percent for graduate students.Wichita State is proposing a 5-percent increase for all students. Emporia State is proposing a 4.4-percent increase for resident undergraduates, and a 5-percent increase for all other students. Pittburg State is proposing a 5.7- or 5.8-percent increase for all students. Fort Hays State has proposed a 4.5-percent increase for all students.For more on this story, return to LJWorld.com later today.