While many peer institutions across the United States are approving large tuition increases to make up for state budget reductions and insufficient resources, West Virginia University’s Board of Governors voted Wednesday (May 5) to keep in-state undergraduate tuition at current levels, while approving increases for out-of-state students by $249, or 3 percent per semester.

WVU undergraduates currently pay $5,304 per year in tuition and fees, while non-residents pay $16,402.

“We listened to Gov. Joe Manchin’s very passionate request for public colleges and universities to do what we could to cap tuition for in-state students to keep college affordable in these tough economic times,” said BOG Chair Carolyn Long following the meeting. “WVU has found a way to do that while keeping non-resident tuition and fees at competitive levels and below the type of increases we are seeing at many of our peer institutions across the country.”

Vice President for Administration and Finance Narvel Weese noted that during a time when many peers in New York, Georgia, Virginia and Florida are increasing tuition and fees anywhere from 12 to 25 percent, “WVU has been able to find cost-saving measures and generate some additional revenue so that we can remain affordable for both residents and non-residents. In the future, we will need to continue that model of being more entrepreneurial.”

Also under the plan approved this week, undergraduate, graduate and professional students will see a slight increase in fees, approximately $50 per semester, to support student-driven initiatives such as student recreation, student health, libraries and transportation.

Other parameters:

• Tuition for graduate and professional students – both in-state and out-of-state will increase by 4 percent, or $120 and $341 per semester, respectively – with some exceptions in the health professions.

• Housing (room and board) expenses on WVU’s main campus will increase by 4.5 percent.

• WVU’s divisional campuses – Potomac State and WVU Institute of Technology – will see no increase in resident or non-resident tuition and fees. Potomac State’s housing costs will remain unchanged; Tech’s will see an increase.

Tuition and fees account for about 32.5 percent of WVU’s overall main campus budget, Weese said, with state support making up about 24 percent and the rest coming from grants and contracts, private support and auxiliary sources.

A detailed budget, including the approved tuition and fee structure, will be presented at the BOG’s June 4 meeting in Charleston

In other action, the Board approved:

• $206,583 in new Research Trust Fund contributions for submission to the Vice Chancellor for Science and Research for matching funds from the state. With this request, private and state dollars combined will be bring WVU’s total to $12.2 million in investments in key research areas. The RTF was created in 2008 to leverage public and private investments that will help transform West Virginia’s economy by supporting expansions to research faculty and infrastructure in key areas linked to economic development, health care and job growth. Those areas include energy, nanotechnology, biosciences and biometrics.

-WVU-

bl/05/05/10

CONTACT: News & Information Services
304-293-6997

Follow @wvutoday on Twitter.