To help students and families affected by inflation, Governor Glenn Youngkin‘s office has requested state colleges in Virginia freeze tuition for in-state undergraduates this fall.
At least 10 out of the 15 public schools have responded to his request and agreed to hold tuition costs.
Virginia Commonwealth, James Madison, Virginia Military Institute, University of Mary Washington, Longwood, and Old Dominion have modified their plans and announced tuition freezes, joining Virginia Tech, the College of William & Mary, Virginia State University, and Norfolk State University, who did not initially plan to raise tuition.
The announcement comes a month after most of the state’s public universities announced plans to increase tuition due to salary increases of 5 percent and higher utility and maintenance expenses.
Gov. Youngkin commended the schools’ decision. “Of course, all these universities went and did this work because they know it’s the right thing to do,” Gov. Youngkin stated.
Institutions on the Fence
Not all Virginia schools have agreed to Youngkin’s proposal.
George Mason, for example, has not yet made a decision. The university said tuition rates for the remainder of the year will not be reviewed until December.
Three more schools — Radford, Christopher Newport, and the University of Virginia’s College at Wise — did not comment on the situation.
Youngkin estimated that freezing tuition at UVA would cost $7.5 million, which he described as a minor investment for a university with a “huge budget” of nearly $2 billion.
The governor’s office added that schools with frozen tuition expect to increase fees, room, and board in 2023, but Youngkin said he would focus on that next year.
