VCU news

By Mike Porter

The Virginia Commonwealth University Board of Visitors voted Friday to set tuition and fees for the 2024-25 academic year. Tuition will increase by 2.7% for undergraduate students.

University leaders cited the need to cover inflationary costs while investing in innovative academic programming and applied learning to further enhance student success and the value of a VCU degree. VCU addresses these costs and investments with ongoing budget realignments, anticipated funding from the state and enrollment revenue.

VCU's board voted to hold tuition flat for undergraduate in-state students from FY20 through FY22 and offset FY23 increases with one-time scholarships – keeping tuition and fees at or below inflation and realigning resources to address academic priorities, continued financial aid support, salary increases and military student waivers.

The board also voted to increase resident mandatory student fees by $137, or 4%, in the 2024-25 academic year. VCU’s mandatory fees remain among the lowest for Virginia colleges and universities.

“VCU has a history in the past several years of zero or low tuition increases for our students combined with increasing financial aid, thanks largely due to the state and our donors,” said VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D. “This year’s modest increase balances affordability and the need to make investments in VCU’s quality and the learning experiences of our students.”

Rate increases for the academic year, including those for housing, dining and parking, can be found at budget.vcu.edu/budget-plans/.

Typical in-state undergraduate students enrolled in 15 credits per semester will pay $16,720 in tuition and mandatory fees in the 2024-25 academic year, an increase of $487. Out-of-state undergraduate students’ tuition and mandatory fees would be set at $39,884, an increase of $1,067.

More information about the budget is available at budget.vcu.edu/budget-plans/.