Lawmakers in the Virginia House and Senate reached an agreement on budget language that includes funding for public colleges and universities to freeze tuition rates.
“Students and parents across the commonwealth can breathe a sigh of relief now that the General Assembly has struck a deal that will freeze tuition for the second year in a row,” Stacie Gordon, the Virginia advocacy manager for the nonprofit Partners for College Affordability and Public Trust, said in a news release.
“By doing so, Virginia’s legislators have made it absolutely clear that holding down college costs for hard-working students and their families remains a top priority,” Gordon said. “We commend House Appropriations Chairman Luke Torian and the House leadership for standing up for Virginia’s students and families to make this much-needed tuition freeze once again possible.”
This budget proposal would allocate $55 million in state funding to public colleges and universities to freeze tuition rates for in-state students. Last year, all of the commonwealth’s public institutions froze tuition rates for in-state students. Some schools also froze rates for out-of-state students, although the government did not incentivize that.
In addition to tuition freezes, this proposal includes more funding to improve public education, health care and workplace equity.
“We are increasing equitable access to higher education through a historic funding package,” House Appropriations Committee Chairman Luke Torian, D-Woodbridge, said in a news release. “We are addressing health care equity and affordability by establishing a State Health Benefit Exchange to lower insurance costs and raising Medicaid provider reimbursement rates to preserve access to critical services.”
The General Assembly will reconvene Thursday in its extended session to vote on the budget proposal. If it passes, it will go to Gov. Ralph Northam’s desk for his signature.
