By Mike Porter

The Virginia Commonwealth University Board of Visitors voted Friday to set tuition and fees for the 2025-26 academic year. Tuition will increase by 2.5% for in-state undergraduate students.

University leaders cited the need to cover increases in mandated costs such as military tuition waivers and salary increases, inflationary increases in insurance premiums and service contracts, and strategic investments in academic and applied learning programming.

Since FY20, VCU’s Board of Visitors has implemented modest tuition adjustments below the rate of inflation with no tuition increases in fiscal years 2020, 2021 and 2022, due largely to the state of Virginia’s support and internal budget realignments. VCU’s strategy has resulted in a 20.5% decline in VCU’s average net price since 2019 for families earning under $110,000 per year.

“VCU is a microcosm of America, welcoming hardworking students from all backgrounds who are motivated to earn a degree,” said VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D. “The board’s action today helps keep tuition affordable for our students while aligning our resources to invest in student success, innovation and research that impacts lives.”

University leadership reinforced VCU's commitment to aligning resources to grow the value of a VCU degree. VCU’s financial strategy addresses mandated and inflationary cost increases and reflects a commitment to investing in innovative academic programming and applied learning to further grow student success and prepare students for the future of work. Each year, these investments and costs are addressed by ongoing budget realignments, anticipated funding from the state and enrollment revenue.

The board also voted to increase resident mandatory student fees by $200 in the 2025-26 academic year.

Typical in-state undergraduate students enrolled in 15 credits per semester will pay $17,240 in tuition and mandatory fees in the 2025-26 academic year, an increase of $520. Out-of-state undergraduate students’ tuition and mandatory fees would be set at $40,404, an increase of $520.

More information about the budget, tuition and fees is available at budget.vcu.edu/budget-plans/.