THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 22, 1995 TAG: 9502220441
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PHILIP WALZER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 36 lines
The percentage of Virginia high school graduates choosing to attend college in the state has stayed constant in the '90s, but the number of out-of-staters choosing to come to Virginia schools has dropped more than 25 percent since 1988, according to a study released Tuesday.
``I think it still shows we are attractive, but there are some signs that the tuition policy is having an effect,'' said J. Michael Mullen, deputy director of the State Council of Higher Education, which conducted the study.
In the early '90s, the state permitted larger tuition increases than usual to compensate for budget cuts, and started charging out-of-state students the full cost of their educations.
Of Virginia high school graduates who attend college, the study showed, the percentage of first-time freshmen remaining in the state has stayed at about 79 percent over the last 20 years. That's slightly under the national average of 81 percent.
``Virginians are a reasonably affluent and mobile population, especially in Northern Virginia and Tidewater, and going away to college is a desirable activity,'' Mullen said.
But the number of students coming to Virginia from out of state decreased from 15,700 in 1988 to 11,100 in 1992. New York supplied the most - 1,442.
Virginians who go out of state tend to choose private schools: Of all Virginians who attend public colleges, 88 percent stay in the state. Among those in private schools, only 52 percent remain in Virginia.
One in four students who leave Virginia goes to school in North Carolina. by CNB