In an effort to support students coping with financial hardship during the pandemic, the Georgia Board of Regents voted Tuesday to freeze tuition and fees for public college students.
This is the second year in a row and the fourth time in six years that the board has decided not to increase tuition for the state’s 26 public colleges and universities.
For the upcoming fall semester, in-state students at Georgia will pay $4,474 while out-of-state students will pay $13,993, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
A win for Georgia students, no tuition increase for the 2021-2022 academic year. I, along with Higher Education Committee, look forward to working with the Board of Regents to continue to improve opportunities for students and the Univ. System of Georgia.https://t.co/eG5uiYr3l9 pic.twitter.com/pt43Mqnv6c
— Rep. Chuck Martin (@Martin4GA) April 13, 2021
Board chairman Sachin Shailendra believes the move will help make “colleges and universities affordable so that students and their families can successfully get their degrees, improve their quality of life and help increase Georgia’s economic competitiveness.”
Officials thanked federal leaders for making the tuition freeze possible. Georgia received $1 billion earlier this year when the federal government approved $40 billion in COVID relief aid for the nation’s colleges.
Reaction to the Move
The decision has been applauded by students, faculty, and college authorities alike.
University System of Georgia Chancellor Steve Wrigley said the move will help to make higher education more affordable for families. “We are grateful for the support of the Board and state leaders toward this priority,” Wrigley said in a statement.
A number of college services have been affected by the pandemic. 20-year-old Georgia State University student Ausar Simmonds welcomed the freeze, saying students should not have to “pay fees for services that have been limited during the pandemic.”
“I think (the freeze) is a very good thing, especially with the pandemic and how it’s economically impacted students, especially at a school like Georgia State, which is the largest school in the state and has many students with financial challenges,” Simmonds told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.