Members of the Kansas Board of Regents are pictured on May 20, 2026.

University of Kansas leaders are proposing a 5% increase in tuition and fees for the average student next school year, as administrators said the additional money is needed primarily to boost salaries on campus.

KU and the state’s other public universities presented their recommendations to the Kansas Board of Regents on Wednesday, but the board isn’t scheduled to take action on the tuition increases until next month.

Each of the state’s public universities – except for Emporia State University – are proposing a tuition increase for the year. KU’s proposed increase is the largest in terms of a dollar amount and second largest in terms of a percentage increase of any of the state’s major campuses.

“State funding decreases and inflation are the really the big ones,” Jeff DeWitt, KU’s chief financial officer, said of factors that prevented KU from proposing a smaller increase.

The state legislature cut about $4.2 million to fund general operating expenses at the Lawrence campus and also eliminated about $1.2 million in funds for student advising and student success programs. Tuition dollars will be used to help make up those funding cuts.

Then, there is the issue of staff and faculty pay. The state approved a budget that funds a 1% increase for state university employees. DeWitt said that is not enough for KU to remain competitive in the broader labor market, so some tuition dollars are expected to fund salary and wage increases.

Information presented to the Regents on Wednesday showed that KU plans to set aside approximately $12 million for pay raises and promotions. However, DeWitt told the Journal-World that he couldn’t yet say what type of average pay increase that would mean for KU employees. That’s in part because the university is moving away from a system of across-the-board pay increase, and focusing on merit raises. The university also must negotiate any pay changes with a new employee union that represents faculty members.

A third change, though, involves timing of raises. DeWitt said KU is planning to have pay raises take effect in January, rather than at the start of a school year or the state’s fiscal year, which is in July. He said the January timing will give the university plenty of time to see what enrollment levels truly are for the school year.

Tuition rates for the next school year, though, are scheduled to be set next month. Wednesday’s proposals made clear that students should expect to feel an impact. KU’s proposed tuition and fee increase would result in the average student paying about $320 more per semester for tuition and required fees, which does not include any increases related to room and board prices for students who live on campus. Additionally, KU – as the state’s largest university – does have the highest tuition rates of any of the state’s public universities, and the proposed tuition would increase the gap between KU and most of the state’s other universities. With the proposal, KU’s tuition and required fees would be $610 per semester greater than Kansas State University, the state’s second largest university.

Here’s a look at the proposed tuition and required fees – per semester – for each of the state’s Regent’s universities:

• KU: $6,634, up 5%

• K-State: $6,024, up 4.1%

• Wichita State: $5,164, up 3.8%

• Pittsburg State: $4,442, up 3.3%

• Emporia State: $3,610, up 0.1%

• Fort Hays State: $3,237, up 5.9%

All the tuition and fees listed above are for in-state, undergraduate students. Universities also presented proposals for out-of-state and graduate students. At KU, out-of-state students would face a 5.4% increase in tuition and required fees, while graduate students would see increases of 5%.

After posting record enrollments in recent years, DeWitt told the Regents that KU is forecasting that its enrollment will be flat for the next school year. KU primarily has been posting enrollment growth through the attraction of out-of-state students.

DeWitt said out-of-state recruitment has become more challenging as many states are becoming more aggressive in trying to keep their youth from leaving. This year is the first year of what the higher education industry calls the “demographic cliff,” which refers to a decline in the number of high school graduates. High school graduate numbers have fallen because birthrates fell after the 2008 Great Recession, which was 18 years ago.

“The states now are doing everything they can to keep their students from leaving,” DeWitt said.

Most of the other Regents universities also were projecting flat or slightly declining enrollment totals, with the exception of Emporia State University. ESU had experienced significant enrollment declines over the past several years but posted strong enrollment growth this school year.

Administration leaders there credited the enrollment growth to a strategy that has held tuition and fees steady. While the budget and staffing cuts that have come at the university have been controversial, the administration is holding the line on the strategy. It is proposing no increase in tuition next school year, and student fee increase of just $3 per student. Regents were told that ESU is projecting to add 200 to 250 students to its enrollment next year, which would be an increase of about 5%.