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Tuition @ KU

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.

KU proposes Jayhawk Generations Scholarship

KU's Jayhawk Generations Scholarship

CONTINUING FOR FALL 2010: Once a Jayhawk, always a Jayhawk — and that includes your children or grandchildren. KU now offers the Jayhawk Generations Scholarship worth 12 percent or 20 percent off the out-of-state tuition for students who have a parent or grandparent who graduated from KU and who meet certain academic requirements.

    The criteria:
  • Admitted first-time freshmen whose parent, stepparent, legal guardian, grandparent or step-grandparent earned a degree at KU
  • A 3.25 or above high school grade-point average
  • ACT score of 26 or above ( 26 to 29 = 12 percent discount; 30 or above = 20 percent)
The Office of Admissions and Scholarships is now accepting Jayhawk Generation Scholarship forms from qualified freshmen who meet the criteria and who will enroll in fall 2010. Download the application (PDF)


KU tuition rates, freeze on fees for 2009-10

The Kansas Board of Regents has set tuition rates for for the 2009-10 academic year, including extension of the Four-Year Tuition Compact and a freeze on student fees. The Tuition Compact fixes rates for four years, thus 40 percent of KU's student body will see no increase in tuition. KU tuition and fees rank fifth in the Big 12 conference — more than $1,200 a year below Missouri in-state rates — and 24th out of 34 fellow public universities in the AAU, a prestigious invitation-only organization of the nation’s top research universities.

» Read the press release
» Per credit hour rates, course fees
» Download the presentation (8.5MB PDF)

» 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.
» Current rates? See KU's 2008-2009 tuition rates on the Tuition & Fees page.

The KU Four-Year Tuition Compact

We make an unprecedented commitment to first-time freshmen: An “innovative” fixed tuition rate along with setting campus and course fees four years in advance. Students can determine the tuition and fee costs of an entire bachelor degree! See 10 point overview below

The Bottom Line

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

A typical student entering KU in the fall of 2009 will pay the following rates for four years:

Kansas Residents

$3679.50
per semester*

Nonresidents

$9663.75
per semester*

* Assumes 15 credit hours per semester. Does not include Required Campus Fees or Course Fees (the latter do not apply to most freshmen).

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 in advance the Course Fees for each year for the following four years so the costs are known. (See glossary for full description)
  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 of KU's bachelor's degrees can be completed in four years.
  7. It is unprecedented. Before 2007, tuition rates were known only two months before they went into effect. In the 30 year period before 2007, the annual increases ranged from zero percent 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 and 2008 fixed rates assume a 6 percent increase each year.
  10. Required campus fees are set and approved by students to support services and programs on campus, such as health, recreation, transportation and student activities.