KU tuition still increasing, but many students OK with change

Andrew Turner, a senior from Overland Park, has seen his student fees go up each year since he was a freshman.  But that’s OK, he said, because his University education has led to a mechanical engineering job waiting for him after graduation.

The cost of attending the University has steadily risen and continues to be highest in the state, said Jack Martin, the director of Strategic Communications for the University, but students are still receiving an affordable education.

“The University of Kansas is the flagship research university for the state of Kansas, and as such has opportunities available for students that aren’t offered by other institutions,” Martin said.

While state funding has decreased by 40 percent in the past 13 years, Martin said tuition still remains in the lower quarter compared to national peers.

“We want to offer the best education at the most affordable price, which is why we are also in the process of changing how the university does business so that we can reduce administrative costs and devote the savings to teaching and research,” Martin said.

Nearly half of tuition pays for professors’ salaries, said Richard McKinney, budget director for the University.

Andrew Turner, a senior from Overland Park, said he has learned a lot from his professors, which makes his tuition well-spent. “The more money that goes to faculty, the better professors — in theory — you should have,” Turner said.

Although the other half of his tuition is allocated to expenses including  maintenance, research and support staff, Turner said the price is worth it, despite seeing a rise in student fees since his freshman year.

“If you pay a certain amount of money, you expect the campus to look nice,” Turner said.

Jamie Branch, a senior from Topeka, said higher tuition should competitively pay for faculty salaries, but that more money should come from the state.

“It’s unfortunate that tuition is increasing for students, but the money has to come from somewhere,” Branch said.

Andrew Murray, a senior from Olathe, sees his tuition as an investment in the overall brand of the University. He said the traditions and novel campus experience are worth every tuition dollar.

“The basketball definitely makes it worth it,” Murray said.

— Edited by Allison Kohn

Marshall Schmidt is a graduate student majoring in biomedical engineering from Mount Hope. Read more from Marshall Schmidt.

• Updated Sep. 18, 2012 at 11:52 pm