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| University of Virginia |
It suddenly became clear yesterday why the
University of Virginia was in such a hurry to get admissions
decisions out to 8,786 prospective freshman last Friday. A massive 11 percent tuition increase for
incoming residents was set to be voted on by the Finance Committee of the UVa
Board of Visitors, and it passed.
On Tuesday, the Committee voted to approve a 3.9
percent increase in base tuition for the 2015-16 academic year for incoming in-
and out-of-state students. But tucked
within the proposal was a $1,000 “step increase” in addition to base tuition
applied only to in-state freshmen entering in fall 2015.
A second step increase of an additional $1,000 is
planned for in-state freshmen entering in fall of 2016.
With full board approval on Wednesday, the total price
of an education for Virginians entering in the fall will increase from $12,998
to $14,468—or 11 percent according to the Washington POST. Engineering freshmen will also be subject to an additional “tuition
differential” of at least $2,000. And none of this includes room and board
or other miscellaneous expenses incurred by students.
A university press release defends the proposal as
offering “more predictability for families,” as tuition adjustments in
subsequent years will be tied to inflation, plus one percent.
The step increase plan is designed to make up for
previous changes
in the AccessUVa financial aid program, which last fall added loans as part
of the comprehensive aid provided to all students with need.
Under the new proposal, certain Virginia students
from low-income families will see total debt load reduced from $14,000 to $4,000. Other students from middle-income families,
who were expected to assume a debt of up to $28,000, will not have a cap of
$18,000.
The Washington POST characterizes the plan as “one
of the highest college tuition-and-fee increases in the nation.” And students, particularly prospective
freshmen, were shocked by the numbers which had been kept secret by behind-the-scenes negotiations among key players on the BOV Finance Committee.
It’s no secret that administrators at UVa have been
secretly envious of the tuition increases applied to in-state freshmen at the College of William and Mary. Starting in
the fall of 2013, William and Mary implemented a new pricing policy that increased
tuition and fees 14 percent for entering Virginia students. At the same time, the College guaranteed that
those students would face no additional tuition increases for the balance of
their four years as undergraduates.
Without too much protest from Commonwealth families, William and
Mary managed to significantly increase revenue from tuition. And UVa noticed.
So for all those prospective Virginia freshmen who
spent the weekend celebrating their good fortune, the news out of
Charlottesville was a bit of a buzz kill.
No doubt some will be looking a little closer at those generous scholarships
offered earlier in the game by other colleges and universities, both within the
state and in other parts of the country.
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