Is UMKC in the ‘Khia Asylum’? Students discuss university culture and artist visibility

   UMKC is located just 15 minutes from downtown Kansas City, yet many students feel the university is overlooked both within campus culture and online.

  In recent internet trends, the Khia Asylum is where artists (Khia’s) are theoretically imprisoned when they reach a state of irrelevance. Some students say UMKC is similarly forgotten in the mainstream.

On social media, UMKC’s main Instagram account has roughly 27,000 followers, compared to Mizzou’s 140,000 and KU’s 124,000.

  Salene Tran, a freshman criminal justice major, notes that this phenomenon can be attributed to UMKC being a commuter campus.

 “We don’t have as many traditions, or we’re not super well known compared to KU or Mizzou, because we’re in Kansas City, the cost of living is super high,” Tran said, “No one wants to rent out an apartment for $1,600, so commuting is an easier and affordable option.”

  She notes that while she appreciates UMKC’s compact size, the administration could attract more prospective students by managing housing prices.

  “Seeing that the average [housing] cost for next year will be roughly $19,000, I think that’s really absurd. It will reduce the number of people living on campus and create more commuters,” Tran said. “Which means we could have lower student involvement.”

  Like Tran, UMKC wasn’t Esteban Ordaz’s first choice. As a sophomore majoring in electrical engineering, he noticed the gap in the college experience for students.

  “There is a campus culture, but I’m a commuter, so it’s different for me,” Ordaz said. “I hear differences in perspectives from friends who live on campus.” 

  He added that the proximity to the city and the plaza is an advantage for attending UMKC and values its accessibility, a common sentiment among students who engage in nightlife. 

  “I think UMKC, for certain programs, has a lot of good connections with the city,” said junior Micah Ruiz Esparza, studying music therapy and psychology, “Any music therapy place knows UMKC and actually uses it for the music therapy meetings.”

  It was then emphasized that, because UMKC is centralized, there are certain benefits of a city college compared to a college town that may lack diverse resources. This is especially relevant for post-graduation plans, as UMKC’s services and connections offer many local job opportunities.

  “Sports play a huge factor in it,” Ruiz Esparza said, “What I’ve noticed about any university, if it’s well known in sports, it’s well known in general. If you look at merch that’s sold out everywhere, you’re not seeing UMKC merch.”

  “I don’t think that devalues  all the educational benefits of this place and the expertise that’s here,” Ruiz Esparza added, “That’s the thing with colleges, sports bring in money, money makes merch, merch makes it known.”

  Bella Debitetto, a senior majoring in both music therapy and psychology, recognizes that with so many schools in the KC metro area, UMKC may not be particularly prominent. Lawrence, Kansas, is linked to KU, while Columbia, Missouri, is associated with Mizzou.

“We’re just a small part of everything that’s a part of Kansas City,” Debitetto said.

  However, despite follower counts on social media, UMKC continues to receive accolades, with the largest incoming class of first-time college students celebrated in the fall semester of 2025, up 2% from last year. 

  More recently, UMKC, as one of only two Missouri universities on the list, was ranked 337 in the 2026 Times’ The World’s Top Universities,

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