Cheapest Colleges in Kansas
Sticker prices at the 20 four-year colleges we rank in Kansas run from $5,923 to $39,822 a year in tuition and fees, a gap of $33,899 between the cheapest school and the most expensive one.
The 7 public colleges here charge a median of $9,684 a year, within a few percent of the national public median of $9,940. The 13 private nonprofit colleges on the list charge a median of $35,380, under the $39,582 national private median. Sticker price alone rarely settles the cheapest private option, so check the net price column.
Fort Hays State University ranks first at $5,923, ahead of Emporia State University ($7,106) and Pittsburg State University ($8,400).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- 4-year colleges whose main award is the bachelor's degree (public, private nonprofit and for-profit)
- Ranked by in-state tuition & fees, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in Kansas
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- A reported in-state tuition & fees value (schools without one are not ranked)
- Schools that report no tuition or a $0 price are not ranked
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Kansas has 20
- Data period
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Enrollment: undergraduate students, fall 2024.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 20 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Fort Hays State University Hays, KS Public · 4-year | $5,923 | $17,741 | $12,569 | 48% | 9,733 |
| 2 | Emporia State University Emporia, KS Public · 4-year | $7,106 | $15,419 | $16,261 | 55% | 2,239 |
| 3 | Pittsburg State University Pittsburg, KS Public · 4-year | $8,400 | $19,744 | $15,784 | 57% | 4,210 |
| 4 | Wichita State University Wichita, KS Public · 4-year | $9,684 | $19,869 | $13,194 | 51% | 10,780 |
| 5 | Washburn University Topeka, KS Public · 4-year | $9,945 | $20,949 | $15,280 | 53% | 4,562 |
| 6 | Kansas State University Manhattan, KS Public · 4-year | $11,221 | $28,568 | $19,406 | 71% | 15,142 |
| 7 | University of Kansas Lawrence, KS Public · 4-year | $12,102 | $30,432 | $18,059 | 69% | 21,217 |
| 8 | Bethany College (KS) Lindsborg, KS Private nonprofit · 4-year | $33,000 | — | $27,686 | 32% | 569 |
| 9 | Sterling College (KS) Sterling, KS Private nonprofit · 4-year | $33,700 | — | $22,371 | 34% | 538 |
| 10 | Friends University Wichita, KS Private nonprofit · 4-year | $34,192 | — | $27,715 | 52% | 1,048 |
| 11 | Kansas Wesleyan University Salina, KS Private nonprofit · 4-year | $34,630 | — | $22,671 | 43% | 956 |
| 12 | Bethel College-North Newton North Newton, KS Private nonprofit · 4-year | $35,014 | — | $32,917 | 42% | 504 |
| 13 | Baker University Baldwin City, KS Private nonprofit · 4-year | $35,300 | — | $25,301 | 59% | 1,100 |
| 14 | University of Saint Mary Leavenworth, KS Private nonprofit · 4-year | $35,380 | — | $22,519 | 46% | 925 |
| 15 | Newman University Wichita, KS Private nonprofit · 4-year | $35,500 | — | $19,971 | 53% | 851 |
| 16 | Ottawa University-Ottawa Ottawa, KS Private nonprofit · 4-year | $35,880 | — | $27,963 | 28% | 870 |
| 17 | Benedictine College Atchison, KS Private nonprofit · 4-year | $36,350 | — | $27,891 | 63% | 2,272 |
| 18 | MidAmerica Nazarene University Olathe, KS Private nonprofit · 4-year | $37,174 | — | $32,165 | 49% | 983 |
| 19 | McPherson College McPherson, KS Private nonprofit · 4-year | $37,310 | — | $26,441 | 44% | 872 |
| 20 | Southwestern College (KS) Winfield, KS Private nonprofit · 4-year | $39,822 | — | $29,824 | 35% | 924 |
How to compare these colleges
Start with the net price column rather than the sticker price. Net price is the average a student who receives aid pays after grants and scholarships, so a school that ranks lower here can still be the cheaper choice for your family. The out-of-state column applies only if you are not a legal resident of Kansas, and only public colleges charge a separate rate.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Kansas
Same list in nearby states
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Cheapest colleges in Oklahoma
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Cheapest colleges in Colorado
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All 38 colleges in Kansas See the national version of this ranking