Budget, Course Offering & Expenditure Transparency

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What it shows

  • Instruction’s share of the budget fell, tenure-track faculty declined, and the faculty who stayed lost ground to inflation.
  • Finance and administration took a larger share, senior administration nearly doubled, and staff paid $100K or more almost doubled.
  • More money and higher fees, with fewer tenure-track faculty, more staff and fewer degree-seeking students.

How to use this page

  • Pick a topic button beside Key trends (Budget, Teaching & Courses, Faculty & Pay, Staff & Administration, Peers, KBOR stats) to see its findings.
  • Show the figures opens the numbers behind each key trend; each tile’s Definitions & sources says what is counted and links to its Handbook entry; View analysis opens the full tables.
  • Type a question in Ask the data for an answer in words, with the source.

See the key trends from this analysis →

How to use this website
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Explore Wichita State
Key trends

Instruction’s share of the budget fell, tenure-track faculty declined, and the faculty who stayed lost ground to inflation

Wichita State’s instruction budget changed −2.5% (FY24→FY27) while the five other regional universities’ rose +7.3% to +18.2%.

Finance and administration took a larger share, senior administration nearly doubled, and staff paid $100K or more almost doubled

Nebraska–Lincoln and Nebraska–Omaha cut their senior administration (FY21→FY27); at Wichita State the same staff gained 8.7% after inflation while the same tenure-track faculty lost 3.8% (FY22→FY27).

More money and higher fees, with fewer tenure-track faculty, more staff and fewer degree-seeking students

Tuition and state funding rose +10.1% (FY23→FY27) while degree-seeking enrollment fell 6.7% (Fall 2022→2026); staff positions rose 7.2% (FY22→FY27); program fees rose a typical 33% (FY22→FY27); tuition spending outran collections and the tuition reserve was drawn down (FY22→FY25).

Budget

Budget report →

FY23–FY27

Instruction’s budget share fell

Share of the General Use budget

FY2334.0%FY2727.5%
FY23–FY27

Academic Affairs’ budget share fell

Share of the General Use budget

FY2350.6%FY2742.5%
FY26–FY27

Academic Affairs General Use fell $4.8M in one year

General Use budget, the latest year

FY26$97.8MFY27$93.0M −4.9%
FY23–FY27

Finance & Administration’s share rose

Share of the General Use budget

FY2331.1%FY2736.0%
FY23–FY27

Central administration grew by nearly a third

Institutional Support, General Use dollars

FY23$20.4MFY27$26.7M +31%
FY24–FY27

Instruction budget declined

At the five other universities in the region, teaching lines rose +7.3% to +18.2%

FY24$99.1MFY27$96.6M −2.5%
FY23–FY27

More money, fewer degree-seeking students

Tuition +11.8%, state allocation +8.0% (FY23–FY27); degree-seeking students −6.7% (Fall 2022–2026)

FY23$163.8MFY27$180.3M +10.1%
FY23–FY27

Athletics budget nearly quadrupled

Intercollegiate Athletics, all funds

FY23$3.6MFY27$13.9M +288%
FY19–FY25

Actual spending: instruction’s share fell

Audited Annual Financial Reports, the University only

FY1923.9%FY2514.7%Without research: 30.9% → 28.2%
FY22–FY27

Program fees rose a typical 33% since FY22

Median of 6 program fees; resident tuition +19.5%

+33%typical changeLargest: Medical Laboratory Sciences $106.87 → $250 (+134%)
FY22–FY27

College course fees rose up to 25% since FY22

Largest: Counseling (Education); 5 of 10 unchanged

FY22$20FY27$25 +25%
FY22–FY27

Five fees added since FY22

Innovation & Design · Social Work, BSW · Social Work, MSW · TALS (Education) · Sign Language

5new fees
FY18–FY25

Tuition carry-forward peaked, then fell

Tuition fund balance at year end; $5.2M in FY18

FY23$24.1MFY25$9.2M −62%
FY22–FY25

Tuition spending outpaced revenue

Tuition collected +5.5%; the difference came from the balance

FY22$83.9MFY25$104.7M +24.7%
FY25

Carry-forward vs. state universities

Wichita State second lowest of six; median 35.3%

9.8%of tuition revenue

Teaching & Courses

Course offerings report →

AY 20-21 to 25-26

Fewer, larger classes

Sections with students, six colleges

Sections−2.6%Student credit hours+7.5%average class 22.5 → 25.3 students
AY 20-21 to 25-26

Colleges changed unevenly

Average class size and sections offered, by college

Barton, average class+27%Liberal Arts & Sciences, sections−10.1%
Fall 2019–Fall 2024

Retention lowest of six; graduation up

First-time, full-time freshmen; Wichita State against the five other Kansas state universities

Fall 201975.7%Fall 202471.7%−4.0 points; median of the other five −1.0
AY 24-25 to 25-26

53% of classes meet face to face (F2F)

Share of sections taught fully face to face, six colleges

24-2554.5%25-2653.0%
Fall 2021–Fall 2026

Students per tenure-track faculty increased

Degree-seeking students per filled tenure-track line

Fall 2138.5Fall 2642.9 +11%

Faculty & Pay

Pay report →

FY22–FY27

Tenure-track faculty declined

Non-tenure-track: 212, up from 142

FY22360FY27316 −12%
FY26 → FY27

Tenure-track faculty fell by 13 in one year

Counted in FY26 and in FY27, six colleges

43no longer counted → 30newly counted net −13
FY19–FY27

Vacant tenure-track lines fell by two-thirds

Budgeted vacant lines, core university

FY1966FY2724 −64%
FY22–FY27

Tenure-track pay lost purchasing power

Same 180 tenure-track faculty

−3.8%after inflation+17.6% before inflation
FY22–FY27

Non-tenure-track pay outpaced inflation

Same 80 non-tenure-track faculty

+6.8%after inflation+30.6% before inflation
FY26 → FY27

Departing faculty earned more than new hires

Tenure-track, average pay per 1.0 FTE

Left after FY26$107.7KvsNew for FY27$70.4K
2021–2025

Faculty were paid above budget

Payroll minus budgeted salary, six colleges

$23.7Mnet, 2021–2025
FY22–FY27

Raises differed by college

Same tenure-track faculty, before inflation

+8.2% to +42.1%tenure-track, by college
FY21–FY27

Most years: no raise

Median raise 0% in FY21, FY22, FY26, FY27

4 of 7 budget years
FY22–FY27

$100K+ faculty pay lost purchasing power

Same 47 faculty paid $100K+ in FY22. Staff paid $100K+: +9.4% after inflation (+33.8% before)

−10.7%after inflation+9.2% before inflation
FY27

Pay trails Nebraska–Omaha

Tenure-track average pay by rank

Assistant−13%Associate−7%Full−3%

Staff & Administration

Employees report →

FY21–FY27

Senior administration vs Nebraska

Nebraska–Lincoln 32 → 23, Nebraska–Omaha 14 → 11

FY2120FY2737 +85%Total pay $3.3M → $8.3M (+$5.0M)
FY22–FY27

Staff grew faster than faculty

Staff FTE +7.2%, faculty FTE +1.7%

FY222.34FY272.47staff per faculty
FY21–FY27

Staff paid $100K or more nearly doubled

Named non-faculty staff, not inflation-adjusted

FY2189FY27172 +93%
FY22–FY27

More staff than faculty now earn $100K or more

Faculty in the six colleges and named non-faculty staff

Faculty, FY27154vsStaff, FY27172FY22: 110 faculty, 93 staff
FY22–FY27

Total pay of $100K+ staff rose

Budgeted salary, not inflation-adjusted

FY22$14.7MFY27$28.8M +96%
FY22–FY27

Staff pay outpaced inflation

Same 565 full-time staff, every pay level

+8.7%after inflation+32.9% before inflation
FY22–FY27

Low-paid staff pay outpaced inflation

Same 400 full-time staff paid under $60K in FY22

+11.3%after inflation+36.2% before inflation
FY22–FY27

$100K+ staff pay outpaced inflation

Same 55 staff paid $100K+ in FY22

+9.4%after inflation+33.8% before inflation
2021–2025

Staff were paid above budget

Payroll minus budgeted salary, named staff

$17.3Mnet, 2021–2025
FY19–FY27

Money budgeted for vacant positions

Vacant lines, core university

FY19$11.7MFY27$12.0M +3%

Peers

Peer comparison →

FY2018–FY2024

Instruction’s share of spending is below the KBOR peers

IPEDS; Wichita State against its five KBOR peers (median)

FY201836.5%FY202435.0%KBOR peers 42.1% → 37.0%
FY2018–FY2024

Instruction spending per student is below the KBOR peers

IPEDS; Wichita State against its five KBOR peers (median)

FY2018$7.6KFY2024$9.2KKBOR peers $9.1K → $10.7K
2018-19 to 2024-25

Faculty pay is below the KBOR peers at every rank

IPEDS; Wichita State against its five KBOR peers (median)

2018-19$71.3K2024-25$83.4KKBOR peers $81.6K → $87.9K
Fall 2018–2024

Full-time management staff more than doubled; instructional staff +3%

IPEDS; full-time management against instructional staff, Fall 2018–2024

Fall 2018184Fall 2024388 +111%Instructional staff 548 → 565
Fall 2018–2024

Tenure-line share of faculty fell, below the KBOR peers

IPEDS; Wichita State against its five KBOR peers (median)

Fall 201868.2%Fall 202460.9%KBOR peers 70.3% → 68.5%
2018-19 to 2024-25

In-state tuition and fees rose less than at the KBOR peers

IPEDS; Wichita State against its five KBOR peers (median)

2018-19$8,2712024-25$9,684 +17%KBOR peers $8,049 → $10,728 (+33%)
Fall 2018–2024

Wichita State has fewer degree-seeking students per full-time faculty member than the KBOR peers

IPEDS; Wichita State against its five KBOR peers (median)

Fall 201825.4Fall 202425.1KBOR peers 29.2 → 26.2
Fall 2018–2024

Wichita State has fewer students per full-time staff member than the KBOR peers

IPEDS; Wichita State against its five KBOR peers (median)

Fall 20189.6Fall 20247.5KBOR peers 15.6 → 14.9
Fall 2018–2024

Wichita State has more full-time staff per faculty member than the KBOR peers

IPEDS; Wichita State against its five KBOR peers (median)

Fall 20182.6Fall 20243.3KBOR peers 1.9 → 2.0
Method & sources

Every figure here is computed from the public source files (WSU budget books FY2019–FY2027, the class schedule, KansasOpenGov payroll, peer budget reports) and checked by the same audits as the full reports. Periods differ by card and are shown on each one. Percentages are changes in the stated measure, not judgements. Pay changes are shown before and after inflation: consumer prices (CPI-U) rose +22.3% from July 2021 to June 2026 (source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U, all items, not seasonally adjusted (FRED series CPIAUCNS)). † marks a group of fewer than ten people. Direction only: nothing here establishes cause. Each card links to the full report with its counting rules; each card’s Definitions & sources gives what is counted and where it comes from, and its Discussion holds the Budget Office’s responses and reviewed reader comments.