Kansas Extends In-State Tuition

By Cara Cowan Watts | Cherokee 411

Kansas extends in-state tuition to Indigenous students from Tribal Nations with ties to state.

TOPEKA, Kan. — Enrolled citizens of dozens of Tribal Nations with historic ties to Kansas will continue to qualify for in-state tuition at the state's public colleges and universities regardless of where they live, under a provision renewed by the 2026 Kansas Legislature.

The provision, found in Section 114(e) of House Bill 2513, takes effect July 1, 2026, and runs through June 30, 2027, with anticipated annual renewal. It was developed in partnership between the Kansas Advisory Council on Indigenous Education and the Kansas Board of Regents.

The policy applies to enrolled members of the four federally recognized Tribal Nations headquartered in Kansas — the Kickapoo Tribe of Indians of the Kickapoo Reservation in Kansas, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, and the Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska — as well as federally recognized Indigenous Nations with historical connections to Kansas territories. Eligible Nations include those with Apache, Arapaho, Caddo, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Chickasaw, Chippewa, Choctaw, Comanche, Delaware, Iowa, Kaw, Kiowa, Miami, Missouria, Modoc, Muscogee (Creek), Nez Perce, Omaha, Oneida, Osage, Otoe, Ottawa, Pawnee, Peoria, Ponca, Potawatomi, Pueblo, Quapaw, Sac and Fox, Seminole, Seneca-Cayuga, Shawnee, Stockbridge-Munsee, Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, and Wyandotte references in the Tribe's name.

The provision grants residency status for tuition payment only. It does not provide financial aid, nor does it make out-of-state students eligible for financial aid programs directed to Kansas resident students. Students are encouraged to contact each institution's financial aid office to determine eligibility for other programs.

Each public institution of higher education in Kansas is directed to consider qualifying Indigenous students as Kansas residents for the purpose of tuition payment. Students typically must submit proof of Tribal enrollment to the institution's registrar. Accepted documentation generally includes a Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood, a Tribal Identification Card or a Tribal Enrollment Certificate.

A separate state statute, K.S.A. 76-731, provides that any person who has attended Haskell Indian Nations University and is on a Tribal membership roll maintained by the Bureau of Indian Affairs shall be considered a Kansas resident for the purpose of tuition and fees at the state's public universities. The Haskell provision operates independently of the annually renewed legislative provision and does not require historic ties of the student's Nation to Kansas territories. Haskell, located in Lawrence, is one of the oldest federal Indian boarding schools still in operation and serves students from Tribal Nations across the country.

The Kansas Board of Regents has noted that the list of Nations with historic ties to Kansas is expected to be refined over time. Tribal Nations seeking to document historical ties to the Kansas land base may contact Elaine Frisbie at the Kansas Board of Regents at efrisbie@ksbor.org.

For tuition assessment questions, students should contact the registrar's office at their Kansas institution of higher education.

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