Kansas is home to 18 private, accredited non-profit colleges and universities who serve more than 24,000 undergraduate and graduate students each year; and those institutions award 22% of Kansas’ bachelor’s degrees and 25% of the state’s master’s degrees.

Kansas’ private colleges and universities award over $154 million in institutional grants and scholarships annually to help students earn an invaluable college degree.

There are over 275,000 living alumni of those institutions – half of whom live and work in Kansas; and among these alumns are some of the state’s most celebrated and influential civic, business and cultural leaders.

Kansas’ private colleges and universities are major employers in many smaller communities and enrich those communities with an array of cultural and community education events, contributing significantly to the quality of life. 

Kansas private colleges and universities routinely invest significant financial resources in the economies of their local communities and the state through annual budgets and major construction projects, generating millions of dollars in local economic growth. 

Kansas private colleges and universities promote the highest virtues and values and place a priority on developing young people of upstanding personal character and ethical behavior; and these institutions foster civic engagement and leadership development of their students.

Download a PDF of the official Proclamation by the Governor

9 myths about private nonprofit higher education