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Tuition @ KU

Introducing KU's Four Year Tuition Compact

Introducing KU's Four-Year Tuition Compact

No tuition increase for four years!
An unprecedented commitment to first-time freshmen: A fixed tuition rate along with setting campus and course fees four years in advance. Students can now determine the tuition and fee costs of an entire bachelor degree!

“Innovative cost-containment proposals such as KU’s tuition compact are certainly refreshing.” -- Christine Downey-Schmidt, Board of Regents chair, June 28, 2007

At KU we strive to make a high quality college education as affordable as possible. We also are working to help you determine, in advance, what the total cost of a four-year college degree will be.

» Interested in attending KU? Learn more about KU at the Admissions and Scholarship page.
» Want to compare costs? KU costs 15 percent less than neighboring universities. See the numbers page.
» Not a first-time freshman? See KU's 2007-2008 tuition rates on the Tuition & Fees page.
» Ready to budget? Download our budget worksheet and figure out tuition costs for the next four years.

The Bottom Line

First-time freshman at KU will pay a fixed tuition rate based on the Four Year Tuition Compact.

A typical student entering KU in the Fall of 2007 will pay the following rates for four years:

Kansas Residents

$3195.00
per semester*

Non-Residents

$8400.00
per semester*

* Assumes 15 credit hours per semester. Does not include Required Campus Fees or Course Fees (which don't apply to most freshman).

10 point overview of the compact

  1. It is for first-time freshmen only.
  2. It established a fixed tuition rate for four calendar years. No increase in the rate for four years.
  3. It also sets campus and course fee levels for those four years so the costs are known in advance.
  4. Only about half of first-time freshmen will even pay course fees while earning a degree. It depends on their major.
  5. The fixed rate is in effect for four calendar years (includes summer sessions) from the time the student enrolls in KU. When it expires, students must pay the going standard rate.
  6. Four years is the time it takes for a student, taking 16 hours of courses a semester, to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. All but four KU bachelor degrees can be completed in four years.
  7. It is unprecedented. Until now, annual tuition rates were set only two months before they went into effect. Over the past 30 years, the annual increases ranged from zero to 25 percent.
  8. It is not a tuition discount or savings plan. It does give students and families the ability to calculate the cost of tuition and fees for an entire college degree.
  9. However, the fixed rate is below the historical average. Over the past 30 years, tuition has increased an average of 9 percent a year. The fall 2007 fixed rate assumes a 6 percent increase each year.
  10. The Kansas Board of Regents approved the Compact June 28. It takes effect with the Fall 2007 semester.