New Discounts for Out-of-State Students

In an exciting development, last month the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) approved new tuition discounts for students from Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska. This is part of Wichita State’s ongoing, strategic approach to delivering access and affordability for students and families in the Midwest. 

When the Shocker City Partnership and Shocker Select initiatives first started several years ago with initial discounts offered to students from Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas, we found that students from those states happily landed at Wichita State, filling our classrooms and residence halls, providing fresh energy and perspective to student life, and ultimately creating a new talent pipeline for internships and job placements in Kansas. In fact, the university has realized more than 260% growth in students from just those three states alone since fall 2015. 

There’s something special about Shocker Nation that’s resonating with students from out-of-state. Last month’s move by KBOR gives students from the communities below in-state rates to attend Wichita State, without any extra hassle, forms or academic profile requirements. Over the course of four years, students and families will be saving about $37,500 on what would have been nonresident tuition. 

Students eligible for Shocker City Partnership (in-state tuition) rates starting fall 2022:

Fayetteville, AR

Ft. Smith, AR

Little Rock, AR

Colorado Springs, CO

Pueblo, CO

Chicago, IL

Ames, IA

Des Moines, IA

Omaha, IA and NE

Grand Island, NE

Lincoln, NE

Students living outside these metropolitan areas but elsewhere in Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska will now be eligible for their own tuition discount through the Shocker Select program, which will help those families save about $23,750 in tuition over four years. It’s a savings of about 33% from our full out-of-state tuition rate. 

If you’re from a community or state beyond what’s above, it’s possible we’ve got you covered through our existing discount programs.

You’re probably wondering why we’re working so hard behind the scenes to bring new students from other states to Kansas. Our Shocker Career Accelerator is overwhelmed with requests from our Innovation Campus partners, on-campus departments and area employers for students to intern alongside industry professionals. Part of our hope is that students from out-of-state will help to fill these paid internship opportunities for the short-term, but also fall in love with the land of Oz and choose to make Wichita and our state their long-term home to raise families and join the workforce after graduation. We’ve had luck with that too, as our data indicates that nearly 40% of our out-of-state graduates stay in Kansas upon earning their degree from Wichita State. And if staying in Kansas after college isn’t part of a student’s plan, that’s okay too. We think our efforts to prepare students through our academic programs, real-world work and research experiences, and student engagement opportunities collectively serve to propel our students for life – wherever it takes them – after graduation.