Manhattan, KS · Public · Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
How to pay for Kansas State University
What a year costs here, what brings it down, and what a SmartTuition plan could save a family like yours.
Paying for four years here
Four years here, after grants
$85,115
A SmartTuition plan could save a family like this about $4,100.
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester, using your own numbers.
Build your SmartTuition plan for Kansas State University, $99 →Best once your award letter arrives. No letter yet? Get the monthly email.
A family of four with good credit and $500 a month for college. How we worked these out ↓
A year at Kansas State University
| Full price, in state | $28,222 |
| Full price, out of state | $47,085 |
| After grants, at your income | $19,983 |
At this income, 4 of Kansas's other 5 colleges cost less after grants, and 1 cost more. See them all →
What can bring it down
Merit scholarships. In state: $1,000 to $5,000 a year, from a 3.25 GPA.
Kansas State University's promise. The K-State Land Grant Promise: grant and scholarship aid equal to the cost of in-state tuition for Kansas residents with a family income of $80,000 or less and a Pell Grant. The conditions ↓
Pay less for college
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester.
At Kansas State University, our scenarios for Kansas households with good parent credit show a SmartTuition plan saving a median of about $6,200 over four years. How we worked this out ↓
Considering more than one college?
Put the schools you are considering on one list and we price each of them for your family. It is free. It asks what you earn and what you have saved, never your name.
Put your schools side by side →Merit scholarships
What Kansas State University says it awards for grades and test scores.
In state: $1,000 to $5,000 a year, from a 3.25 GPA
GPA 3.95 or higher, and SAT 1330 or ACT 29 $5,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.95, ACT 29) GPA 3.95 or higher, and SAT 1260 or ACT 27 $5,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.95, ACT 27) GPA 3.95 or higher, and SAT 1200 or ACT 25 $4,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.95, ACT 25) GPA 3.95 or higher, and SAT 1130 or ACT 23 $4,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.95, ACT 23) GPA 3.95 or higher, and SAT 1060 or ACT 21 $4,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.95, ACT 21) GPA 3.95 or higher $3,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.95, ACT 20 or less) GPA 3.85 or higher, and SAT 1330 or ACT 29 $5,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.85, ACT 29) GPA 3.85 or higher, and SAT 1260 or ACT 27 $4,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.85, ACT 27) GPA 3.85 or higher, and SAT 1200 or ACT 25 $4,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.85, ACT 25) GPA 3.85 or higher, and SAT 1130 or ACT 23 $4,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.85, ACT 23) GPA 3.85 or higher, and SAT 1060 or ACT 21 $3,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.85, ACT 21) GPA 3.85 or higher $2,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.85, ACT 20 or less) GPA 3.7 or higher, and SAT 1330 or ACT 29 $4,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.70, ACT 29) GPA 3.7 or higher, and SAT 1260 or ACT 27 $3,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.70, ACT 27) GPA 3.7 or higher, and SAT 1200 or ACT 25 $3,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.70, ACT 25) GPA 3.7 or higher, and SAT 1130 or ACT 23 $3,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.70, ACT 23) GPA 3.7 or higher, and SAT 1060 or ACT 21 $3,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.70, ACT 21) GPA 3.7 or higher $2,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.70, ACT 20 or less) GPA 3.5 or higher, and SAT 1330 or ACT 29 $3,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.50, ACT 29) GPA 3.5 or higher, and SAT 1260 or ACT 27 $2,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.50, ACT 27) GPA 3.5 or higher, and SAT 1200 or ACT 25 $2,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.50, ACT 25) GPA 3.5 or higher, and SAT 1130 or ACT 23 $2,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.50, ACT 23) GPA 3.5 or higher, and SAT 1060 or ACT 21 $2,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.50, ACT 21) GPA 3.5 or higher $1,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.50, ACT 20 or less) GPA 3.25 or higher, and SAT 1330 or ACT 29 $2,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.25, ACT 29) GPA 3.25 or higher, and SAT 1260 or ACT 27 $2,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.25, ACT 27) GPA 3.25 or higher, and SAT 1200 or ACT 25 $1,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.25, ACT 25) GPA 3.25 or higher, and SAT 1130 or ACT 23 $1,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.25, ACT 23) GPA 3.25 or higher, and SAT 1060 or ACT 21 $1,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.25, ACT 21) GPA 3.25 or higher $1,000 a year Kansas Resident Award (GPA 3.25, ACT 20 or less) Apply for admission; your application doubles as the scholarship application, and the award follows from your GPA and test score. To keep it, your student needs a 3.0 GPA in college. These are the amounts for students entering in summer or fall 2027. The award renews for up to four years with continuous full-time enrollment and 24 credit hours a year.
Enter your student's GPA in our college comparison to see this scholarship beside your family's price.
Published guarantees you may qualify for
We do not assume you qualify for any of these, and our plans never bank on them. Check each against your own situation with the aid office.
The K-State Land Grant Promise: grant and scholarship aid equal to the cost of in-state tuition for Kansas residents with a family income of $80,000 or less and a Pell Grant
Household income up to $80,000. Covers tuition.
- For a Kansas resident with an active Kansas address who is a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen and is eligible for the Pell Grant. The student enrolls full time (12 credit hours a term) for a first bachelor’s degree and files the FAFSA by the priority deadline each year. It fills the gap up to the cost of 15 credit hours of in-state tuition a semester after other grants and scholarships.
“This pledge, known as the K-State Land Grant Promise, assures that full-time, Pell-eligible undergraduates with total household income of $80,000 or less will receive a total grant and /or scholarship aid package up to the equivalent cost of 15 credit hours of tuition per fall and spring semester (up to 30 credit hour value for the academic year).”
How we worked these out
The family
A family of four with good parent credit and $500 a month to put toward college, and the savings you pick. In state, the grants are what Kansas State University reports families at that income got, on average. Your own will differ, and a family with no aid pays close to the full price. Out of state, there are no grants: the price is before any scholarship from the college.
What a SmartTuition plan saves
The difference, over four years, between a SmartTuition plan and the standard approach: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest and the federal tax credit. For a family that lives in Kansas, it also counts Kansas' tax deduction for money you put through its 529 plan.
The $6,200 in the “Pay less for college” box near the top of this page is the median saving in Kansas State University's own scenarios. Each scenario is a household that lives in Kansas, with an income from $45,000 to $200,000 and savings of none, $40,000 or $100,000 in a 529. We price Kansas State University at the aid it reports for that income.
Every scenario has parents with good credit and $500 a month toward college. The card above uses the same two. A scenario where the parents would borrow more than $65,000 is left out.
The prices by income
- They describe students who got aid.
- “Over $110,000” has no upper limit, so it averages families just over $110,000 with far wealthier ones. A family at $115,000 should expect to pay less than it shows.
- Each range is reported on its own, so the prices do not always rise with income.
Where the prices come from
Where the prices come from: Kansas State University's own 2026-27 tuition, fees, housing, food and books, from its website, carried forward to 2027 at 3.0% a year. The grants are the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (2025-26 figures), carried forward the same way. Each price after grants is the cost less those grants. The out-of-state figure uses the published out-of-state tuition instead. The average price after grants counts the students who get federal aid. Your own figure will be different.
Kansas State University's own budget for 2026-27 is $30,638 in state and $48,952 out of state. It also counts costs the university doesn't bill for, such as travel and personal spending. We leave those out.
SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Kansas State University. Aid policies change; check current terms with the college's aid office.
Nearby at your income
- University of Kansas$19,258 a year
- Wichita State University$19,666 a year
- Kansas State University$19,983 a year
- Benedictine College$22,648 a year
What each college charges, less the average grant for your income. Every Kansas college →