William & Mary Inches up Tuition While Virginia Tech Stands Back

University of Mary Washington

Yesterday’s meeting of the William & Mary Board of Visitors ended with the announcement of a relatively small tuition increase for 2012-13.

Tuition and mandatory fees will go up by $438 or 3.3 percent for in-state students.  Out-of-state tuition and mandatory fees will increase $1,382 or 3.8 percent.

“This is the lowest percentage increase for Virginia undergraduates in more than a decade,” said WM President Taylor Reveley, in a message on tuition and fees.  “With the addition of room and board for those undergraduates who live on campus, the total expense in 2012-13 will be $22,888 for in-state students and $46,663 for out-of-state students.”

The William & Mary decision to ease up on tuition increases places UVa firmly in the unenviable position of “most expensive” in the Commonwealth for both resident and nonresident students.  Add on UVa’s tuition differentials for the business, engineering, and nursing programs and the gap in total tuition and fees becomes even greater—well beyond Governor Bob McDonnell’s recent request for increases below 3 percent.

But William & Mary and UVa aren’t the only state institutions to ignore the Governor’s request.  The University of Mary Washington is increasing tuition and fees by 4.7 percent for in-state students.  The total cost for students living on campus will be $18,086—$812 more than last year.  For out-of-state students, tuition is increasing 4.8 percent to $30,400.

In other areas of the state, the tuition-setting process continues to proceed slowly.  The James Madison Board of Visitors didn’t take up the issue at their April 13^th meeting, leaving students to speculate on how much they will be asked to pay next year.

At Christopher Newport University, which has increased its tuition by 50 percent since the 2004-05 academic year—the highest percent change among all Virginia schools—the Board of Visitors will consider tuition and fees at its May 4^th meeting, several days after the May 1^st deadline for student enrollment decisions.

And in Blacksburg, a Virginia Tech Board of Visitors meeting on 2012-13 came to an abrupt end with no decision.  After a presentation by university Chief Financial Officer Dwight Shelton on increases to tuition and fees—including a 4.7 increase for in-state students—the Board went into closed session and adjourned after an hour of debate. The board did not set a date to vote on revised tuition recommendations.