THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 17, 1995 TAG: 9503170562
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PHILIP WALZER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
For the second consecutive year, Virginia's community colleges will be raising tuition just less than 3 percent.
The State Board for Community Colleges voted Thursday to increase annual costs next fall from $1,359 to $1,399.50 - or 2.98 percent.
The announcement is likely to be repeated at four-year colleges across Virginia in the next month. Most state-supported universities have yet to set their rates, but they're sure to stay close to the 3 percent level. They have little choice.
The General Assembly last year approved a 3 percent cap on annual tuition increases from 1994 to 1996 to provide parents relief after years of double-digit cost increases.
This school year, tuition and fees went up an average of 2.9 percent at state-supported two-year and four-year colleges.
``I would expect it to be pretty close to that next year,'' Dan Hix, finance coordinator of the State Council of Higher Education, said Thursday.
From 1989-90 to 1993-94, tuition went up more than 40 percent statewide to help compensate for a 20 percent cut in state aid to colleges. That put Virginia among the 10 states with the highest college costs.
Hix said he expected the lower increases to go over well on campuses. ``Keeping it at inflation, maybe even slightly lower, obviously helps the consumer,'' he said.
But Michael Dudnick, a photography student at the Portsmouth campus, said: ``I think any increase is unreasonable. Basically, I'm on my own, and it's a struggle to make it. I think it's ridiculous.''
Tuition is the same at each of the state's 23 community colleges, which have a total of 230,000 students.
For out-of-state students, the rate will rise 4.7 percent, from $4,470 to $4,680. The state has capped increases for out-of-state students at 7.5 percent.
Joy Graham, assistant chancellor for the community college system, characterized the increase as ``a good compromise . . . 3 percent of our tuition is really slight.
``Our board would very much like to have no increases,'' she said, ``but some fixed costs (such as salaries) go up, even if you do nothing else in the way of additional programs.''
Earlier this month, Virginia State University approved a 1.8 percent increase in tuition and fees for in-state undergraduates.
Norfolk State and Old Dominion universities will set rates next month. Last year, their increases were 2.6 percent and 2.8 percent, respectively.
Officials at the schools said Thursday it was too early to predict next year's increases.
But David F. Harnage, acting vice president for administration and finance at ODU, said: ``We will be well within the cap.''
Universities may face another cap next year. Gov. George F. Allen wants to require colleges to issue ``tuition contracts'' guaranteeing that annual increases will not exceed the rate of inflation. Unlike many of his other initiatives, this one was not killed by the General Assembly.
The contracts could be launched as early as the 1996-97 school year, said Kari Walter, a spokeswoman for state Education Secretary Beverly Sgro.
KEYWORDS: TUITION COLLEGE COSTS by CNB