Apr 22, 2011

Tech Hikes In-state Tuition and Fees by 9.6%



For area high school students planning to head toward Blacksburg in the fall, the prospect of a tuition increase over last year probably isn’t too much of a surprise.

The magnitude of the increase, however, may be.

This week, the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors Executive Committee set tuition for the 2011-12 academic year, and the news isn’t good.

Tuition and mandatory fees for in-state undergrads will be $10,509, an increase of $920. Tuition and fees for out-of-state students will be $24,480, an increase of $1,263 or 5.4 percent. Average room and board will cost $6,856—up 9 percent from $6,290.

And to add insult to injury, the parking fee for resident students will increase from $189 to $225. Commuter and graduate students will see their fee go from $189 to $198.

Total average costs for a Virginia undergrad living on campus with a meal plan will be $17,365. Out-of-state undergraduates will pay $31,336.

In a press release that looks very similar to those issued by both the College of William & Mary and the University of Virginia, Tech President Charles Steger blames deceases in state and federal funding for the need to boost revenue through tuition increases.

“The university will lose an additional $16 million in state funding, partially offset by $3 million in new funding for Fiscal Year 11-12,” said Steger. “Further the university will no longer receive $21 million in federal stimulus funding that was designated to temporarily plug the hole created by state funding cuts.”

At the same time tuition, fees, and room and board are going up, Tech plans to boost need-based financial aid by $1.3 million to $13.1 million for next year. The university’s Funds for the Future program and Presidential Scholarship Initiative, along with the Horizons Program will continue to assist students with financial need.

Virginia Tech’s total financial aid, including state and federal loans and grants, institutional support, and work study grants is expected to exceed $370 million.

Dollarwise, Tech’s increases are very much in line with those of UVa and William & Mary, which raised in-state tuition by $948 and $944 respectively.


Photo courtesy of Flickr.

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