So much for new fireworks between University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan and the Board of Visitors. It appears that the administration and board have come to an agreement on how much to raise tuition next year.
The good news: The administration has abandoned its proposal to jack up the tuition for third- and fourth-year students on top of regular tuition increases. The bad news: The University will hike fees for everyone more aggressively.
Under the original proposal, administrators had called for increases of 2.9% and 3.9% respectively for in-state and out-of-state students, plus an add-on fee for upperclassmen. Instead, the board settled for increases of 3.8% and 4.8% for in- and out-of-staters. After inflation, that’s an increase of 2% to 3% per year during a time when real wages for most Virginians are stagnant.
In its reporting, the Daily Progress provides no explanation for the decision, although it does quote board member William H. Goodwin as previously having said that the original proposal might constitute “double-talking” — hiding a tuition increase as a fee.
Score a small victory for transparency. Score another loss for affordability. UVa continues unabated its march toward higher prestige rankings by beefing the incredibly expensive scientific and technical disciplines and chasing R&D dollars.
In related news…. Virginia Commonwealth University’s administration has proposed an overall 4% increase in tuition that would be coupled with a shift to a charge per credit hour rather than per semester, reports the Times-Dispatch. The idea is to discourage students from signing up for the maximum 18 credit hours — blocking others from enrolling in a needed course — and then dropping out.
Given the current economic circumstances, the 4% increase amounts to predatory pricing. But, I must concede, the shift to charging by the credit-hour does make sense.
So continues academia’s plundering of middle America…
— JAB
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