The Virginia General Assembly lifted the limit on public in-state tuition rates Monday, potentially allowing Virginia public colleges and universities to regain their tuition-setting privileges taken away by the state during former Gov. George Allen's administration.
"Traditionally the Board of Visitors sets tuition, but during the George Allen administration the state set a policy that said schools couldn't increase tuition more than inflation," said Colette Sheehy, University vice president for management and budget. "Last General Assembly session they lifted that freeze in acknowledgement that schools would have to raise tuition because of budget cuts."
The House of Delegates will release this amendment -- sponsored by Del. L. Preston Bryant Jr., R-Lynchburg -- and other amendments to the budget on Feb. 2.
University officials welcome the proposed legislation.
"What's attractive is that it returns full authority on tuition to the Board of Visitors -- in recent years they had some constraints on that authority," said Leonard Sandridge, executive vice president and chief operating officer.
Alexander "Sandy" Gilliam Jr., secretary to the Board, also welcomed the proposal.
"Anything that can give us flexibility in managing our own affairs as much as possible is beneficial," Gilliam said. "In this day and age with money as tight as it is, we need to be able to have maximum flexibility."
Prior to Allen's administration, the Commonwealth still controlled funding for state schools, but each school retained the flexibility to set tuition rates, Sheehy said.
After the state froze in-state tuition rates in the 1990s, schools no longer had a choice with undergraduate in-state tuition, but still could determine out-of-state and graduate tuition rates, Sheehy added.
"There is no longer a prohibition -- no hard cap for tuition rates," she said. Instead, there are recommendations for limits on tuition increases, she added.
The Board will discuss possible tuition increases at their next meeting at the end of this month.
"Although it is unusual for the BOV to discuss tuition in January, it will be discussed but they won't act on any specific proposals until April," Sheehy said.
Gilliam added that whatever the Board passes in upcoming months will not go into effect until this fall.
"If they pass some popping tuition increase, then we're not going to send any supplementary bills right after the next BOV meeting," he said.
Although the proposed amendment received support from University officials, "the responsibility to vote for or against rests with the legislature itself," Sandridge said. "The only role the administration might play will be if there are any questions raised by members of the legislature."
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