Virginia Tech Creates Scholarship to Offset Tuition Increase

• Virginia Tech officials cited inflation among the cost pressures forcing a 3% tuition hike.
• They created a one-time scholarship to offset the increase for in-state undergraduates.
• Mandatory fees and housing costs will also increase for 2022-2023..

Virginia Tech is increasing tuition by 3% for the 2022-2023 academic year — but in-state undergraduate students will have that increased cost offset by a one-time scholarship.

Members of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors' executive committee on Tuesday set the 3% tuition increase for all graduate and undergraduate students. They then approved the scholarship "to effectively freeze tuition for in-state undergraduate students."

Base tuition for Virginia Tech undergraduate students is set to increase by $353 to an annual $12,104 — although the scholarship will offset the increase. Out-of-state undergraduate students will see an increase of $925 to an annual $31,754.

Mandatory fees are also set to increase by $138 to $2,564 next year, according to the release. Room and board costs will rise by $506 annually, or 4.9%, to a total of $10,756.

"This decision helps us to balance access and affordability for students and their families who seek a Virginia Tech education while investing in world-class faculty and campus programs and preserving the quality of a Virginia Tech degree," Rector Letitia Long said in a press release. "The state's investment in higher education has helped us keep costs to our students and families down."

“Virginia Tech President Tim Sands said recent investments in higher education by state lawmakers helped the university offset some of the increased costs.”

Virginia Tech officials cited "significant cost pressures" like statewide employee compensation increases in the decision to increase tuition. Virginia Tech President Tim Sands said recent investments in higher education by state lawmakers, however, helped the university to offset some of the increased costs.

"Their increase in support will help Virginia Tech avoid passing on the full extent of inflationary costs to our students and their families," Sands said. "The further action of the board to discount tuition for in-state undergraduate students down to the current rate will help our students and their families when they need it most."

Some Virginia universities have opted to hold undergraduate tuition flat: Virginia State University announced earlier this year that tuition costs wouldn't increase for the 2022-2023 school year. And the College of William and Mary's Board of Visitors likewise voted in May not to increase tuition.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin previously sent a letter to college presidents requesting that universities don't raise tuition.

Other higher education institutions in the state increased costs after holding them steady during the pandemic.

The University of Virginia's Board of Visitors approved increases to undergraduate tuition and fees late last year — with a 4.7% increase in the 2022-2023 school year and 3.7% increase for the 2023-2024 school year. Tuition hadn't increased during the 2019-2020 and 2021-2022 school years, according to the university.

Virginia Commonwealth University opted in May for a 3% tuition increase for undergraduate students after holding that cost steady for several years.