Could budget cuts be coming to Emporia State University after the Kansas Board of Regents decided to hold undergraduate tuition flat next year? Possibly — but Provost David Cordle says it’s not a cut-and-dried situation.
Cordle tells KVOE News the goal of keeping tuition rates as low as possible is a high priority, both for the Board of Regents and for ESU. However, the university has to balance that goal with certain financial realities.
Initially, Emporia State’s plan was to use the increased tuition revenue to offset those cost increases. Cordle says the university tries to budget the lowest possible increase to cover those costs.
At Emporia State, in-state undergraduate tuition is staying put at $2,577.15 per semester. Non-resident undergraduate tuition is also staying flat at $9.535.35 a semester.
The Board of Regents approved Emporia State’s plan to increase graduate rates 2.5 percent, meaning in-state students will pay nearly $3,200 a semester and non-resident students will pay close to $10,000 a semester. Cordle says that step will generate about $230,000 for the university. The impact of undergraduate tuition staying flat was not immediately available, but Cordle says it’s substantially higher than that of raising tuition for graduate students.
Lawmakers added $34 million to state universities during the legislative session earlier this year after the Board of Regents requested $50 million to replace money lost by several rounds of funding cuts earlier this decade. The Board of Regents says universities are still $31 million below 2009 funding from the state even with the infusion earlier this year.
