Tuition Frequently Asked Questions

How KU is funded?

KU is a public institution and relies on state funds, tuition, fees, private gifts, federal grants and contracts for the funds needed to operate the university. To help keep education at KU accessible, tuition and fees paid by students account for 16 percent of the university's revenues while appropriations from the state legislature account for 24 percent.

Together, tuition and fees for Kansas residents accounts for about a third of the total cost of attending KU; for non-Kansas residents, their tuition and fees account for nearly 60 percent of the cost.

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How affordable is KU?

KU is recognized nationally as a "best buy" university for the high quality of its programs and faculty and its reasonable tuition rates by magazines like Kiplinger's and college guide books like the Fiske Guide to Colleges, Kaplan's and the Princeton Review. The Fiske guide calls KU “one heck of a deal.”

KU's resident undergraduate tuition and fees tuition ranks 23rd among the 34 public members of the prestigious American Association of Universities and rank fifth among the 11 public Big 12 institutions.

Learn more: Information on KU's estimated cost of attendance

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What is the purpose and benefit of KU's Four-Year Tuition Compact?

KU's tuition has followed national trends over the past 30 years increasing 0 to 25 percent a year for an average of 9 percent a year . These tuition changes are approved only months before classes begin, giving students little time to adjust their financial arrangements.

The KU Four-Year Tuition Compact protects first-time freshmen students and their families from sudden spikes in tuition, gives them the confidence that college will remain affordable, and enables them to more accurately estimate and budget for college expenses.

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How does the Tuition Compact work?

The compact is based on the key costs of a four-year degree: tuition, Course Fees and campus fees.

First-year freshman will pay a compact tuition rate, which will remain in effect for the first four years that the student is enrolled.

Students in certain academic programs will pay additional course fees, but these will also be set four-years in advance.

Required Campus Fees are set by the Student Senate and support student services and activities such as the health services center, the recreation and fitness center and the bus system.

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Does the compact save students money?

No. This is not a tuition discount plan or college savings plan. By knowing that the tuition rate won't change for four years, students and their families are better able to estimate total tuition costs for an undergraduate degree.

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Who will participate in the Four-Year Tuition Compact?

Beginning fall 2007, all first-time, degree-seeking freshmen will participate in the Four-Year Tuition Compact.

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Who is a first-time freshman?

A first-time freshman is a student who starts at KU immediately after graduating from high school or has never attended another college or postsecondary institution. Students who graduate from high school in spring 2008 are first-time freshmen, regardless of the number of college or advanced placement credits earned. New international students who enter KU as first-time freshmen will participate in the compact.

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Can a first-time freshman choose not to participate in the Four-Year Tuition Compact?

No. All first-time freshmen will pay the compact tuition rate.

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Why does the compact expire in four years?

Almost all KU bachelor's degree programs take four years to complete if a student takes an average of 16 hours a semester. KU encourages students to maintain a rigorous academic schedule and graduate on time.

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What tuition rate will sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students pay this fall?

All students, except for the entering freshman class, will pay standard tuition rates. Standard tuition rates depend on whether a student has graduate or undergraduate, resident or nonresident status. The proposed compact and standard tuition rates for fall 2008, approved by the Kansas Board of Regents, are available online at www.tuition.ku.edu.

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Is the compact tuition rate the same for Kansas residents and nonresidents?

No. Both compact and standard tuition rates have resident and nonresident levels.

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When will KU announce tuition rates for 2008?

Tuition rates for fall 2008 were approved by the Kansas Board of Regents June 12 and are in effect beginning with the fall 2008 semester.

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What happens if a student does not finish his/her degree in four years?

After the compact tuition rate expires (four years after starting at KU), students will pay the standard tuition rate in effect at that time.

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What if a student is in a five-year or six-year academic program?

Of all undergraduate programs at KU, only four are designed to take longer than four years to complete. They are:

• Architectural engineering
• Industrial design
• Music therapy
• Visual arts education

Students enrolled in these programs will receive the same 48-month compact tuition rate and then pay the standard tuition rate for their remaining semesters.

Note: Education typically includes four years of undergraduate study and the fifth year is post-baccalaureate graduate work for certification. Students pay standard tuition at the graduate level for the post-baccalaureate year.

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Is there a maximum or minimum number of hours in which a student may enroll?

No. The compact tuition rate is in effect for four years no matter how many courses a student takes.

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Does the compact include classes in the summer session?

Yes. The compact is in effect for the first four calendar years at KU no matter how many semesters the student enrolls.

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Will a first-time freshman entering KU in fall 2008 pay the same compact tuition rate as freshmen in fall 2007?

No. Each entering class will pay a different compact tuition rate based on the four-year average of anticipated standard tuition rates. For example, a first-time freshman entering in August 2007 will pay the FY 2008 compact tuition rate until it expires in July 2011. A first-time freshman entering KU in August 2008 will pay the FY 2009 compact tuition rate until it expires in July 2012.

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What will happen if a student leaves KU during the four-year period and comes back later?

A student who leaves KU but returns during the four-year (48-month) period will continue to pay the same compact tuition rate. For example, a student enters KU in August 2007 but withdraws the following year. If that student re-enters KU in fall 2009, s/he will pay the FY 2008 compact tuition rate, until it expires in July 2011.

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What if a student participates in a full-time internship for a semester or a study abroad program?

The clock does not stop if the student leaves campus. The student continues to pay the compact tuition rate for four years.

Note: Participation in an internship or study abroad program does not prevent students from graduating within four years. In fact, students who study abroad while at KU have higher four-year graduation rates.

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Are there any exceptions to the four-year rule?

Students who need to leave KU for extenuating circumstances will continue to pay the compact tuition rate if they re-enroll. Their compact tuition rate will be extended beyond its normal expiration date for a period matching the student's absence.

(The University Registrar must verify any extenuating circumstances such as military service or emergency medical conditions.)

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What if a student is enrolled in the School of Education?

A degree in education typically includes four years of undergraduate study and a fifth year of post-baccalaureate graduate work for certification. Students will pay the compact tuition rate for the first four years and the standard graduate tuition rate for the post-baccalaureate year.

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What about students planning to enter the School of Pharmacy?

All students who are admitted to the PharmD program, whether first enrolled as new freshmen at KU or as transfer students, pay the compact tuition rate for the four years of the PharmD program. A pre-pharmacy student who enters KU in August 2007 will pay the FY 2008 compact tuition rate. When the student is admitted to the PharmD program, s/he will pay the compact tuition rate for that entering class. For example, if the student is admitted to the PharmD program in August 2009, the student will pay the FY 2010 compact tuition rate for the next four years.

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Does the compact include university housing costs?

No but an optional two-year, fixed-rate campus housing contract is available. Visit KU Housing

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Do other Kansas regents institutions offer a tuition compact?

No. KU is the only college or university in Kansas to make this unprecedented commitment to students and their families. The plan was developed in response to KU student leadership's request for a tuition plan that would enable students and their families to plan and budget for college expenses.

The compact protects students and their families from sudden spikes in tuition, gives them the confidence that college will remain affordable, and enables them to more accurately estimate and budget for college expenses.