The Kansas Board of Regents approved the 2021-22 tuition proposals this week.

According to Fort Hays State University, the college in Hays continues to be the best value in higher education – anywhere.

“Any way you look at it, we are the best value anywhere,” FHSU President Dr. Tisa Mason said. “We have proposed for the second time no increase to tuition and actually a slight decrease in fees thanks to our student government. This means that tuition at Fort Hays State will remain roughly half of the national average and more than $2,000 less than the average of our sister KBOR universities.”

Calculated for a 15 credit-hour semester, undergraduate tuition and fees at FHSU in the coming academic year will be $2,721.90, which is slightly less than the $2,724.60 in the 2020-21 school year. Considering that FHSU already had the lowest tuition, the gap widened between the cost at FHSU and at most other schools.

“Our mission calls us to hold down our tuition and fees costs,” Mason said. “We’re a teaching institution, and we know that higher tuition translates into less accessibility for Kansans and the region we serve who need a high-quality education now more than ever.”

Fort Hays State doubled down on its commitment to providing quality accessible education by making the bold move to redefine the meaning of regional tuition as well. Mason hopes to bring more students home to Hays, America, by offering in-state tuition to 13 states: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.

“We are taking our value in terms of access affordability and amplifying it,” Mason said. “As a regional public university, we know we offer an unparalleled learning and on-campus experience. The ethic of support is there, and it comes from the heart and the mission from the institution.”

It is possible students from this region will save money by coming out of state to Fort Hays State, and some current FHSU out-of-state students will see their tuition decrease as a result of the new regional tuition model.

“We are all in,” Mason said. “We have had incredible support in implementing our health and safety policies. We’ve had support from Hays Medical Center and Ellis County, and we have been making regional decisions that have been important to Western Kansas.”