By George Fladeland
The average in-state KU student will be paying more per credit hour, according to a new model presented by Interim President Dr. Vargas and other administrators to the Student Government Board on Feb. 3. The new model will only affect students paying in-state tuition.
Currently, the price for a student taking 12 credits is $284, whereas a student who takes 18 credits pays $189. According to the new model, students who take 12 credits will see a 10 percent decrease in their tuition per credit (now $264). However, if a student consistently takes 12 credits, they will most likely graduate in five years. Ultimately, a student who stays at KU for five years will be paying more than if they took at least 15 credits per semester in four years.
The majority of in-state students take 15 credit hours per semester. According to the new model, they will see an increase of 13 percent in their tuition. The reason for the new credit model is due to the lack of state funds and KU’s largest deficit in school history.
“In the past, we’ve had some pretty healthy support from the state… That situation is no longer the case,” said Vice President of Administration and Finance Jerry Silberman.
Next year, KU will have a deficit of an estimated $12 million. To attack the deficit, the university has come up with three strategies: gaining $4 million from raising tuition, $4 million from budget cuts and $4 million in changes that the university handles their budgets.
Silberman feels confident in this financial strategy. “We have run these numbers based on different enrollment scenarios and they don’t change much… with a 1-2% drop in enrollment, the numbers are still well above the $4 million range we want to be in.”
Since the 2009-10 academic year, KU has made $18 million in budget cuts.
“We are almost running out of ideas…We can’t cut any further without hurting the quality of your education,” Silberman said. Although this is not the final version of the per credit model, KU’s in-state students should expect to see a rise in their tuition per credit hour.