Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell is calling on state colleges to buck recent trends and not raise tuition.
In a letter sent to college presidents Friday and publicized by McDonnell’s office Monday, McDonnell asks institutions to voluntarily keep tuition levels below the Consumer Price Index for the upcoming fall semester. In his comments, McDonnell reminds them that the budget that just passed the General Assembly includes $230 million more for higher education, an unprecedented investment from the state that he will “strengthen and clarify” when he makes his amendments to the bill.
McDonnell noted that the majority of students leave college $23,000 in debt and warned that the rise in student-loan debt could hamper the economy.
“We must do everything we can to control operating costs, limit tuition increases, and reinvest state general fund dollars in our colleges and universities to reduce the amount of student borrowing,” McDonnell said. “It is simply unsustainable for more of our young people to be saddled with decades of debt, which can impede their access to the cherished American Dream.”
In-state college tuition increased nearly 10 percent in the 2011-12 school year over the previous year at a time when the Consumer Price Index was 2.7 percent.
McDonnell made a similar case to college presidents and boards during a conference call in March.
