Students at most state universities in Kansas will pay more to live on-campus than if they were to rent an off-campus apartment, according to an analysis by KMUW.
The analysis is based on new room and board rates unanimously approved recently by the Kansas Board of Regents. Pittsburg State University received the smallest increase — less than 1 percent for a dorm room shared by two students — while Wichita State University saw the largest increase at just less than 3 percent.
WSU students will pay the most for their on-campus housing — a shared dorm room in Shocker Hall will cost $6,660 per person for the nine-month, 2018-2019 school year. That means students will pay $1,600 more compared to the average rent for a studio or one-bedroom apartment in the Wichita metro area, according to 2018 county rent estimates from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Prices are higher for private rooms and apartments on WSU's campus.
Devin Martin, a senior at WSU, said he currently lives in an on-campus apartment called The Flats and has previously lived in Shocker Hall.
Martin said he is moving off-campus next semester because of the rising rates. Martin said there are plenty of reasons he would prefer to live on campus — from the proximity to classes to the dining options — but the cost has become too much.
“If I could, I would most definitely live on campus, but at the way that the rates are going I don’t think it will be a great idea to stay on campus financially,” Martin said.
Of the six regents universities, Fort Hays State University and Kansas State University are the only two where students living on campus save money compared to the average rental prices in their respective counties.
However, while Fort Hays students save more than $1,000 over the academic year living on campus because of the low rates there — compared to other state universities — K-State students save because of the expensive housing market in Riley and Pottawatomie counties.
For details about KMUW's analysis, clickhere.
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