The Appropriation Act directs the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) to submit an annual report to the Governor and the chairs of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees documenting the annual change in total charges for tuition and fees approved by the boards of visitors at Virginia public institutions of higher education (Item 4-2.01.b.4.b).

Once funding costs and needs are assessed and the institutions know the amount of state funding available, the boards of visitors determine tuition and fees according to their respective mission and market.

The following are key findings from the 2021-22 Tuition and Fees Report.

1. Tuition and mandatory educational and general (E&G) fees (those fees related to instruction and supported by the state) increased by $69 (0.8%) for in-state undergraduate students at the system level, the lowest annual increase since FY 2000 except in years when the legislature mandated a tuition freeze or tuition rollback. Eleven institutions did not increase tuition and mandatory E&G fees in 2021-22 because of concerns about access and affordability, especially during the COVID-19 period.

2. Mandatory non-educational and general (those fees related to non-instructional or “auxiliary" activities) increased by $95 (2.3%).

3. The average tuition and all mandatory fees for in-state undergraduates is $13,180, a $165 (1.3%) increase from the prior year.

4. Room and board charges average $11,502 at baccalaureate institutions, an increase of $242 (2.1%), the lowest percentage increase since FY 2000.

5. Total charges at baccalaureate institutions — the average sum of tuition, all mandatory fees and room and board — are $25,587 for the 2021-22 academic year, an increase of $425 (1.7%) for in-state undergraduate students, the lowest percentage increase since FY 2000.

6. In 2021-22, Virginia undergraduate students will pay, on average, 50% of the costs related to education, while the state will provide 50%, a one-percentage point increase, in state support. SCHEV staff estimates that if the state funded at the level of the cost-share policy (67%), tuition could be as much as $2,700 (34%) lower than current levels.

7. The total charges for in-state undergraduates as a percentage of per-capita disposable income remains higher than the national average at 45%.

8. Students who complete an associate degree at a community college and transfer to a baccalaureate institution can save an average of $19,214 of the cost of a bachelor’s degree.