RICHMOND — With an understanding of the economic challenges facing Virginia families, the State Board for Community Colleges held firm to a long-term strategic plan to keep community college tuition rates affordable.  The Board voted to increase both in-state and out-of-state tuition and mandatory fees for the coming year by a total of $6.00 per credit hour, while also increasing the financial aid available to both full-time and part-time students. Once the new tuition rate takes effect, the mandatory in-state tuition and fees associated with attending a Virginia Community College next year will be roughly one-third of the cost of attending a Virginia public four-year institution last year.

“A record number of students are attending our colleges and we are committed to serving them,” said Mark Graham, chairman of the State Board.  “No one celebrates a tuition increase.  We are firmly committed, however, to an open-door policy of affordable access and this is what’s needed to accommodate the men and women who are using our classes to elevate their lives.”

Virginia’s Community Colleges are experiencing a set of circumstances unique to the system’s 41-year history.  The vast majority – 67% - of the commonwealth’s entire undergraduate enrollment growth is occurring at VCCS colleges.  And economic challenges have prevented state funding increases, despite the last-place funding status of the community college system when it comes to Virginia’s base budget adequacy formula.

“As state leaders assembled this year’s budget, they were mindful of the impact tuition increases have on family budgets and we share their concerns,” said Glenn DuBois, chancellor of Virginia’s Community Colleges. “Like them, we are working hard to hold tuition to the lowest possible level while striking a careful balance between affordability and quality.  We look forward to our continued partnership with them to maintain our community colleges as an affordable on-ramp to higher education.”

The $6.00 per credit hour increase includes $5.00 for operating expenses and financial aid and $1.00 for the system-wide technology fee. The tuition increase will cost an in-state community college student, who is taking a full-time load of 15 credits per semester, an additional $180 for the year. 

By increasing financial aid resources, the State Board is following the lead of the General Assembly which enhanced financial aid resources in the most recent state budget.  Virginia community colleges students will have access to a total of $27.6 million of non-federal financial aid for the coming school year.

The State Board also approved an increase in the separate differential fee for Northern Virginia Community College of $2.50 per credit hour.

About Virginia’s Community Colleges: Created more than 40 years ago, the VCCS is comprised of 23 community colleges located on 40 campuses across the commonwealth. Together, Virginia’s Community Colleges serve more than a quarter-million credit students each year. For more information, please visit myfuture.vccs.edu.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Jeffrey Kraus
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Public Relations
(804) 819-4949
jkraus@vccs.edu