The University of Virginia Board of Visitors, under pressure from Gov. Glenn Youngkin, today approved a one-time $690 credit to in-state undergraduate students for the 2022-2023 academic year.
The credit is equivalent to the 4.7 percent increase in tuition that was adopted in 2021 for this academic year.
Tuition and mandatory fees for 2022-2023 were approved by the Board of Visitors in December.
University leaders said the decision to issue a credit reflects changing conditions that include significant additional state funding for higher education (including funds specifically designated to support affordable access for in-state undergraduate students), cost efficiencies, and the push from Youngkin for all Virginia public colleges and universities to find ways to hold tuition flat for the current academic year.
“Setting tuition is one of the most important decisions the management and board of any university makes,” said Whittington Clement, the rector of the University Board of Visitors. “Over the past several months, we have done careful work to evaluate the governor’s request and several other key factors that made it easier to proceed with this credit, while maintaining our University’s strong financial position. This step is a positive outcome for the University and for the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
Following the governor’s request, the Board of Visitors reconstituted its Subcommittee on Tuition and charged the group with gathering information and making a recommendation about any changes to tuition that may be warranted due to changing circumstances like increased state funding.
“Our highest priority is maintaining excellence, access and affordability here at UVA,” said University President Jim Ryan. “By taking the time and evaluating new streams of revenue, we were able to offer this credit in a manner that protects those important priorities. I want to thank the members of the University Board of Visitors and the UVA leadership team for the careful and deliberative work that went into this important decision.”
Students will receive a credit on their student accounts for the fall 2022 and spring 2023 semesters.
The Board of Visitors also voted to approve a one-time credit of $182 for the 2022-2023 school year for in-state undergraduates at UVA Wise, which previously had approved a 3 percent increase in base tuition for the current academic year.
Youngkin’s office issued a statement praising the move by the Board of Visitors.
“The University of Virginia is one of the nation’s premier universities, and I thank them for working together with us on behalf of Virginia families. I have encouraged colleges to keep tuition flat at a time when inflation is hurting Virginia families and I appreciate that almost all of our public universities across the Commonwealth are doing so. Today’s decision demonstrates that we can alleviate the burden on Virginia’s students by halting tuition raises to provide more opportunities for Virginia students to pursue higher education,” Youngkin said.
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Chris Graham
