At a time when tuition rates are increasing for most students, some Kansas universities want to give certain out-of-state students a tuition break.

Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University and Pittsburg State University have proposed cutting tuition rates for students from surrounding states.

Officials at the universities say the reduced rates will attract new students, boosting revenues and attracting workers to areas where populations are declining.

But Kansas University officials said discounts for out-of-state students wouldn’t help it or the other large universities. And not all members of the Kansas Board of Regents which must sign off on the proposals are convinced it’s the right approach.

“We’re sensitive to the taxpayers of Kansas educating students of other states,” said Regent Fred Kerr, Pratt. “To some degrees, that’s what it would be.”

KU officials say while the plan might fit the mission of the so-called regional universities, it would serve no purpose at the larger universities. That’s because the larger universities already attract large numbers of out-of-state students and rely heavily on their tuition dollars for their budgets.

The plans

The proposals, which would begin in fall 2003, are different at each university.

Emporia State has proposed charging students from Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Colorado and Texas one and a half times the tuition rate for students from Kansas. The proposal also would charge the same rate to any student majoring in education or who is recruited for the Emporia State debate team.

Ray Hauke, vice president for administration and finance, said about 40 students from those states currently attend Emporia State. Officials would need to recruit about 60 more per year to break even.

But he said the policy fit with the university’s mission, regardless of finances.

“I think much of the thinking behind that has to do with providing a work force for the state,” he said. “If you look at many areas within this state, the population is declining. We’ll help make an adequate work force for this state by drawing from other states.”

At Fort Hays State, the 150 percent tuition would be offered to students from Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma and Colorado. President Edward Hammond said he was confident the university could recruit the 120 new students it would need to break even on the change.

“It won’t be a problem at all,” he said. “We believe there are a number of students from Colorado who are interested in coming to Fort Hays. This will make us competitive in terms of cost.”

Out-of-state, undergraduate students at Emporia and Fort Hays currently pay non-resident tuition, which is $219.77 per credit hour for undergraduates. The new charge, under current tuition rates, would be $87.

Pittsburg State’s proposal builds on a program already in place. The university offers in-state tuition to about 400 students who live in a 10-county area along the Missouri and Oklahoma lines. The proposal would expand that program to 23 counties.

Many universities in Missouri and Oklahoma already offer tuition breaks for Kansas students who live in southern Kansas, he said.

“It’s been a good recruitment tool in terms of addressing a need in our part of the world,” said John Patterson, Pittsburg State’s vice president for administration and finance. “I don’t think the price of a Buick depends on whether you live in Kansas or Missouri or Oklahoma. This gives us the ability to have commerce and trade across state lines.”

Patterson said 28 students currently attend Pittsburg State from the counties officials want to add to the tuition breaks. Undergraduate nonresidents currently pay $219.80 per credit hour and would pay $58 under the new plan.

No shoo-in

Regents say they’ll scrutinize the plans before considering them at their meeting at the end of June, especially considering universities are proposing 5 to 25 percent increases in tuition for this fall.

“I want to be convinced it’s not in any way adding to the burden of in-state, resident students,” said Regent Lew Ferguson of Topeka.

Kerr said he shared that concern.

“It’s only true if those students from other states come into programs that are under-utilized now,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any assurance that’ll happen. If they’re already at capacity, then you’re adding costs.”

Kerr noted there was a precedent for the tuition breaks. State universities in Kansas already offer residents of Nebraska and Missouri 150 percent of resident tuition in some programs under the Midwest Student Exchange Program. Six states are involved MSEP.

In exchange, students from Kansas can attend some programs in other states for 150 percent the resident tuition rate.

KU not interested

Officials at KU say they don’t see any advantage to offering reduced rates for students from neighboring states.

Lindy Eakin, associate provost, said KU’s goal is to have nonresident students pay at least the cost of their own education. He said they currently pay 110 to 115 percent of that cost, with resident students paying about 27 percent the cost of their education.

And he said KU’s reputation lures nonresident students without tuition incentives.

“We’re already attracting 30 percent of our students from across the country,” he said. “They pay full price. They add value. What would cause us to say, ‘Let’s just give it away.'”

The University of Missouri-Kansas City recently announced it would begin a similar program by offering resident tuition rates $153.40 per credit hour for undergraduates to Kansas students in Leavenworth, Miami, Wyandotte and Johnson counties.

Eakin noted that KU’s Edwards Campus in Overland Park offers a flat tuition rate $116.75 for most undergraduate courses to all students regardless where they live.

“For us the question is should we increase the price at the Edwards Campus,” he said. “Are we pricing it too low?”