During the first Faculty Senate meeting in March, President Lynne Murray announced that Baker will be raising its tuition by 3 percent.

“I don’t like it, but we had to do it,” Murray said. “That is going to give us a little more flexibility going in to next year.”

While this increase only correlates to a little more than $800, changes of this nature are always met with apprehension. The new cost of tuition for the 2016-2017 calendar year is projected to be around $27,600 compare to this year’s $26,730. However, this does not automatically make Baker the most expensive institution in the state.

Kansas Wesleyan University is second to Baker in tuition costs for this year with $26,600, a difference of only $130. KWU has not officially published its projected tuition rate for 2016-2017, meaning if KWU also raises tuition, Baker might not be the most expensive college in Kansas.

Another school at the top of the list is Benedictine University, which just published its annual tuition cost for 2016-17 at $26,730.

Baker is frequently listed as the most expensive college in the state of Kansas, but it also has a higher national academic ranking than both Benedictine and Kansas Wesleyan according to many publications.

Since the announcement of a tuition increase at Baker, there have been a few concerns about whether or not the increase will push away potential students.

Understandably, some current students are not enthusiastic about the increase in tuition, but they do understand the reason and the risks associated with it.

“As a finance major, I do think 3 percent is a high increase in tuition,” junior Blake Edwards said. “Baker’s budget is in a deficit, though, so it is helpful to raise tuition as long as it doesn’t cost us in admissions.”

Junior Shannel Rosello-Williams is another student with fears about the recruitment repercussions that could accompany the increase.

“If Baker increases the tuition, I’m concerned about our recruitment numbers since Baker already has a rep as an expensive school,” Williams said.

Williams and Edwards are not the only ones nervous about the change, but what consequences the decision will actually reap, good or bad, only time will tell.