Further expanding its reach of access and affordability, Wichita State University has added 11 cities to its Shocker City Partnership — meaning eligible students from those cities are offered in-state tuition rates to attend WSU.

Those new cities include:

• Chicago
• Colorado Springs and Pueblo, Colorado
• Grand Island, Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska
• Des Moines and Ames, Iowa
• Fayetteville, Fort Smith and Little Rock, Arkansas

The Shocker City Partnership saves students an average of $9,300 a year — or more than $37,200 over four years of college attendance — on out-of-state tuition. The rates will be applicable for all eligible new and returning students from these areas beginning in fall 2022. Students already enrolled at WSU from these cities will automatically be provided the same discount.

In addition, students living outside the designated cities but elsewhere within Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa and Arkansas will qualify for the Shocker Select program, providing families a 33% discount on out-of-state tuition, saving them more than $5,900 per year.

Dr. Carolyn Shaw, associate vice president of strategic enrollment management, stated that the new locations were strategically selected.

“The areas were not only proximate to Kansas — they were also areas where we’ve seen more applications from recently,” Shaw said. “Our tuition rates are quite competitive in those states.”

Shaw also said the request to include these new regions was based on the past successes of the Shocker City and Shocker Select initiatives. The programs began in 2015 and benefitted students from Oklahoma, Texas and Missouri. Since then, WSU has had a growth of more than 260% of enrolled students from these states. Additional discounts for students from Colorado and Illinois were added more recently, resulting in increased enrollment from those states as well. 

• See a full list of Shocker City-qualified cities  
• See a full list of Shocker Select states

With continued enrollment growth, Wichita State’s ’s student support staff has continued to grow to meet students’ needs. This includes recent expansion of the staff at Counseling and Prevention Services and the CARE team. 

“Wichita State has demonstrated, through increases in enrollment from these locations, that this strategy works and helps provide talent to serve local industry and, in turn, growth of the Kansas economy,” Shaw said. “As many as one-third or more of out-of-state recent graduates stay in the state for employment opportunities after graduation.”

Bobby Gandu, assistant vice president of strategic enrollment management and director of admissions, says growing the number of students from other parts of the country not only benefits Wichita State, but the Wichita community as well.

“We’re excited to expand on the successes of Shocker City and Shocker Select programs to new states and communities, providing low-cost tuition and high-value educational and professional outcomes to families in our neighboring states,” Gandu says. “The city of Wichita is growing, and we have long-term workforce demands from the companies and organizations practically in our backyard.”

Gandu added that WSU’s proximity to a variety of local innovative and research-based companies is another reason there is so much interest in WSU from these newly added cities.

“Combining the power of Wichita State’s academic and student life experiences with real-world work and internship experience from local industry delivers a fresh new option for these students to consider as part of their college search,” Gandu said. “Shockers who remain in Kansas after graduating from college have the propensity to join the workforce and raise families in Kansas, contributing to the long-term vitality and vibrancy of our state.

To qualify for the Shocker Select program, students must complete and submit the WSU admission application. After review of the student’s residency status and application, the discount is applied after the student is admitted. Shocker Select is available to undergraduate and graduate students.