As students gather their Financial Aid and wallets this week to pay for this semester, they can expect an increase in fees from what they paid last year. The increase in tuition and on-campus fees will be a total of $171 per semester, or $342 per year. For Emporia State, this was 6.5 percent difference from last year.

But ESU, according to Ray Hauke, vice president of Administration and Fiscal Affairs, is still one of the most affordable schools in Kansas. It ranks second lowest among the regent schools in tuition and fees. For the fiscal year 2014, the cost of attendance at ESU is $2,807 per semester, compared to Kansas University’s $4,639 – a $1,832 difference.

“I am a freshman here and one of the main reasons that I was coming here (was) not only for the education, but also because it was cheaper,” said Joseph Hamer, freshman elementary education major. “I actually did notice that from previous years that (tuition) was high, but it didn’t change my decision. I think the cost is one of the main reasons people come here.”

Hauke said the rise in tuition has been happening by a percentage since the 1970s. He compared the price jumps to the cost of goods – everything is going up. The cost of running the school keeps goes up, so tuition is forced to go up. On top of that, he said, regent schools are dealing with a decrease in state funds.

Jim Williams, vice president of student affairs, said that ESU doesn’t want to be just an affordable school, but also provide a quality education and experience for all students.

“We don’t want to do these things (like raise tuition),” Williams said.

Tuition prices may cause some not to attend universities, or force others to take out more loans, Hauke said, but they are “certainly working to keep it as low as they can.”