Kansas universities and colleges are chasing the money — and that means searching far and wide for students. The farther out the better.
Out-of-state students typically pay at least twice as much as their in-state colleagues. That extra income makes them doubly attractive to cash-short higher schools of learning.
On average, the number of out-of-state and international students has increased by more than 25 percent, according to the Kansas Board of Regents.
The good news is that it creates more of a melting pot for the overly homogeneous Kansas schools. “Funny” accents, varying hues of skin, and different ethnicities help build a more well-rounded student body.
On the down side, Kansas students are losing out.
An Associated Press story states tuition at the University of Missouri is $9,272 for in-state students. For an out-of-state or international student, it’s $22,440. At Oklahoma University, the cost of attending school is $17,500 for in-state students; $28,400 for those not. At the University of Kansas, $18,764 compared to $34,000.
Also at KU, more nonresidents than resident students applied to the school.
Officials say the ease to apply to school via the Internet explains the surge.
A more plausible answer is a college degree is becoming too expensive for Kansas youths.
Over the past 20 years the Kansas Legislature has increasingly pushed the costs of higher education onto the shoulders of students. In 1991, the state carried almost 70 percent of operating expenses of the state’s universities and colleges. Today, the state funds about 39 percent of those costs, while student tuition rates have increased 62 percent.
CONSERVATIVES SAY they are willing to increase funding for Kansas schools when the economy picks up. Meanwhile, we’re willing to starve our biggest resource — our children’s education.
It’s up to us to grow our future.
That means investing in our children’s education and believing in a positive return.
— Susan Lynn
