MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia University Board of Governors voted Friday to raise tuition for in-state students by nearly 10 percent.
An increase of $336 for the fall semester would bring WVU’s annual tuition and fee for undergrads to nearly $7,000. Tuition will rise more than $500 for out-of-state students.
The BOG tried to soften the blow through steps it described as “a fundamental resetting of the institution.” Those include an additional $2.25 million in needs-based funding for students, along with the introduction of the $50 million “Dream First” campaign to provide scholarships.
WVU president Gordon Gee called the increase an unfortunate necessity.
“We have lost dollars, a substantial amount of dollars. So has the state, so we’re a part of that,” Gee told MetroNews affiliate WAJR in Morgantown. “Now, what we’re trying to do is think of new ways and new calibrations, not on the backs of families, but on the opportunistic side.”
Gee later tweeted: “Students, I promise we will increase the amount of need-based student aid and scholarships to help ease this financial burden.”
An organized effort to follow students from freshman year to senior year, to eliminate extended college careers, could also help save families money in the long run Gee said.
“We’re going to appoint a dean of completion. We have a great dean of admission. We don’t have anyone sitting there with a big whip saying ‘Get the heck out of here.’ We’re going to make that happen.”
The board of governors also approved tuition rate increases for WVU Tech and Potomac State. All must be finalized by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, which has the final say on tuition and fee increases.