The University of Mary Washington Board of Visitors unanimously approved 2018-19 tuition and fees at its meeting on Thursday, April 19.
Full-time Virginia residents living on campus will pay $23,384 per academic year, including tuition, fees, room and board. Similarly, full-time, out-of-state students living on campus will pay $39,318. These increases were thoroughly deliberated as an appropriate means to signal Mary Washington’s strength among higher education institutions.
In making the motion for the increase, Sen. Edd Houck, chair of the Board’s Committee on Administration, Advancement, Finance and Facilities, shared the heartfelt story of his family’s and others’ struggle to afford higher education. He continued by saying that the University was on the cusp of great achievement, and he called upon the board to show its confidence in its President and the strategic vision of UMW.
Tuition and related fees for Virginia residents will increase by $526 per academic year, or 4.3 percent. For full-time out-of-state students, tuition and fees will rise by 4.4 percent or $1,214 per academic year. Charges for housing and dining were set in November 2017. These charges will increase by $514 per academic year for the typical student living on-campus, or 5.0 percent for both Virginia students and out-of-state students.
The increases in tuition and fees will address top strategic priorities, as well as help offset operating cost increases and state mandates, according to Lynne Richardson, vice president for administration and finance. Priorities include enhancements to a number of student-based programs and services, including the Career and Professional Development Center, accessibility and assistive services, and critical technology needs.
The University continues to assess ways to offer greater aid to all students, particularly those who are economically disadvantaged. In addition, UMW is committed to building a more diverse student body as a reflection of its duty as a public institution.
Rector Fred Rankin said the action demonstrates the Board’s support of UMW and its commitment to excellence as a premiere liberal arts and sciences institution.
“Few tasks are more challenging than setting tuition rates each year,” Rankin said. “The Board of Visitors takes its fiduciary responsibilities seriously. We hold lengthy deliberations, study rates at peer institutions and solicit input from students who are impacted by the tuition rates. Our work is a balancing act of trying to minimize the impact on family budgets while maximizing the opportunities of a high-quality educational experience.”
UMW is frequently cited as a “best buy” by national publications, such as the Fiske Guide to Colleges, Princeton Review and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. In addition, the student loan resource marketplace LendEDU rated Mary Washington 16th of 100 small public colleges for the least average debt carried at graduation. Mary Washington is also one of only five public schools in Virginia near the top 10 percent of nearly 1,000 colleges and universities in the nation ranked for strong risk-reward outcomes.
The University, with a total enrollment of nearly 5,000 students, features colleges of business, education and arts and sciences, and three campuses, including a residential campus in Fredericksburg, a second campus in nearby Stafford County and a third in Dahlgren, which serves as a center of development of educational and research partnerships between the Navy, higher education institutions and the region’s employers.