WASHINGTON – Students in Virginia may get another tuition increase for the fall semester.
But Gov. Bob McDonnnell is asking college presidents across the state to limit the increase and keep in-state tuition increases to 4.1 percent — the annual rate of increase in the Consumer Prices Index.
In a letter to college presidents and boards, the governor made the argument the state has to keep higher education affordable to Virginia students.
“Some institutions are considering innovative tuition policies to create greater predictability by establishing guaranteed tuition for a students’ four-year program, while others are evaluating differential tuition policies in areas where the actual cost to provide the degree is higher … I encourage you to evaluate these and other tools that keep access affordable and tuition lower,” the governor said in the letter.
Tuition increases at Virginia colleges and universities have been in the double digits for a decade, according to the governor’s office.
The General Assembly allocated an additional $47 million dollars to higher education for the coming year on top of $350 million approved in the last three years.
