in Virginia

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Higher education
Enrollment statistics
Tuition statistics
Financial aid statistics
Retention rates
Graduation rates
Higher education funding

Virginia's higher education system is composed of 129 colleges and universities. Of these, 40 are public institutions, 44 are nonprofit private schools, and 45 are for-profit private institutions.^[1]

Higher education policy decisions can affect college access, the retention of students and the eventual completion of their degrees, student rights on campus, students' financial burden in the form of debt, and their employment prospects after graduation. Click on the tabs below to learn more about higher education in Virginia.

Overview

Overview

Total number of schools: 129

Public schools: 40

State agency: State Council of Higher Education for Virginia

Retention rate: 74%[2]

Graduation rate: 70.5%[3]

Average public in-state tuition: $10,531

Total funding for public higher education: $1,810,767,689

Funding per full-time student: $4,779

Higher education in the United States • Education policy • Education policy in the United States • Public education in Virginia

Overview

Higher education policy refers to the decisions made by the federal government, state legislatures, higher education boards, and colleges and universities themselves. These decisions can affect how state funding is allocated, who sets tuition and at what level, campus resources available for academically struggling students, degrees and programs offered, and state financial aid eligibility and award amounts, as some examples. Higher education entities also set policies that manage campus environments, such as the prohibition or allowance of guns on campus and rules regarding free speech and student protests.^[4]

Decisions made in higher education policy can affect college access, the retention of students and the eventual completion of their degrees, student rights on campus, students' financial burden in the form of debt, and their employment prospects after graduation.^[4]

Generally speaking, there are four types of postsecondary educational institutions in the United States:^[5][6]

1. Public two-year institutions, which are most commonly known as community colleges, typically "award associate degrees in vocational fields [and] prepare students for transfer to four-year institutions." These schools are financed in large part with public funds. Northern Virginia Community College is an example of a public two-year institution in Virginia.^[5][6]
2. Public four-year colleges and universities award baccalaureate and/or graduate degrees. Traditionally, a distinction has been made between colleges and universities, with colleges awarding only four-year degrees and universities awarding both four-year and graduate-level degrees; however, these two terms are often used interchangeably today. Like their two-year counterparts, public four-year colleges and universities are financed largely with public funds. University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University are examples of public four-year institutions in Virginia.^[5][6]
3. Private nonprofit institutions can vary dramatically in size, course offerings and mission. These institutions do not receive public funding directly. Instead, private nonprofit schools are financed primarily by tuition, gifts, and endowments. These schools do not generate profit. University of Richmond and Washington and Lee University are examples of private nonprofit institutions in Virginia.^[5][6]
4. Private for-profit institutions typically specialize in vocational education. Like their nonprofit counterparts, these schools do not receive public funds. These mainly online universities generally serve older students and endeavor to generate profits. Examples in Virginia include Westwood College and Advanced Technology Institute.^[5][6]

Virginia is home to the second-oldest public university in the United States, the College of William and Mary. A charter for the college was approved in 1693, while Virginia was still a colony of Great Britain. After the American Revolution, the first university chartered by the state government was the University of Virginia, founded largely by Thomas Jefferson in 1819. Jefferson also served as the architect and designer of the original campus. The university is the only one in the United States to be named a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).^[7][8]

The chartering of the University of Virginia was a compromise by the Virginia General Assembly to Jefferson's original proposal, which was submitted for the following purpose:

The public school system Jefferson envisioned that would educate students from the elementary to the collegiate level was not established until after the Civil War, when Virginia was required to adopt a new state constitution in order to be readmitted as part of the United States. In 1966 this system was expanded when the General Assembly established 23 community colleges across the state.^[7][10]

As of July 2016, there were 40 public colleges and universities in Virginia, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. These are listed in the table below.^[1]

State agencies

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) was established in 1956 by the Governor of Virginia and the General Assembly. Its mission is stated as follows:

SCHEV is composed of 13 members, all of whom are appointed by the governor. All members serve terms of four years except for the chair, who serves a term of eight years.^[11]

Admissions

Enrollment

See also: Higher education enrollment statistics

According to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, college enrollment typically rises during economic downturns and declines as the economy improves. In 2014, higher education enrollment nationwide was 8.6 percent higher than pre-recession levels in 2008. However, enrollment has been declining since 2012. Full-time enrollment in higher education institutions rose sharply following the recession before peaking in 2011 and then dropping off.^[12]

College enrollment in Virginia followed this trend; between 2012 and 2014, full-time enrollment decreased from about 325,517 to about 318,166. In 2014, full-time college enrollment in Virginia was 12.8 percent higher than in 2008. Click [show] on the green bar below the bar chart to view full-time public university enrollment in Virginia as compared to surrounding states.

Demographics

Enrollment by race and ethnicity

In Virginia, total enrollment—full-time and part-time—in all public and private higher education institutions amounted to 583,755 in fall 2013. About 58.7 percent of these students were white. Black students comprised approximately 22.2 percent of the total postsecondary student population in Virginia. During that time, 60.4 percent of the state's general population was white and 22.9 percent was black, with other ethnic groups comprising the remainder. The table below lists demographic information for both postsecondary students and the general population in Virginia and surrounding states.^[13]

Enrollment by sex

In 2013, 56.8 percent of all postsecondary students in Virginia were female, which was higher than the national rate of 56.5 percent. The table below lists postsecondary student enrollment by sex in Virginia and surrounding states.^[14]

Affirmative action

See also: Affirmative action and Affirmative action in Virginia

Federal law requires government contractors and other departments and agencies receiving federal funding to develop and implement affirmative action plans for the hiring process. Public colleges and universities are considered federal contractors and must utilize affirmative action in their employment practices. However, many private and public colleges and universities across the country have also implemented similar measures in their admissions processes. These actions are typically voluntary, although a handful of states have adopted rules that require state universities to take affirmative action in admissions.^[15][16][17]

Affirmative action admissions programs were undertaken by public and private universities alike, beginning in the late 1960s and 1970s. Some universities initially established quotas in order to achieve a demographically diverse student body; these quotas were outlawed by the United States Supreme Court in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke in 1978.^[15][18]

Affirmative action can also take other forms, such as targeted outreach campaigns. Today, a common form of affirmative action in college admissions is that of racial preferences. A preference occurs when a group of applicants is more likely to be admitted than other applicants with similar or better qualifications due to other factors, such as race or ethnicity. Preferences are also sometimes extended towards women, athletes, and children of alumni. The use of racial preferences may be related to college selectivity: scholars such as law professor Richard Sander have found that preferences are strongest at elite institutions.^{[15][18][19][20]}

Eight states have enacted laws banning the consideration of race in university admissions. As of March 2015, Virginia was not one of these states. Of 15 public four-year universities in Virginia, eight reported considering race in admissions, as indicated in the chart below.

Consideration of race at public four-year universities in Virginia
School	Race/ethnicity is...				School selectivity*
	Very important	Important	Considered	Not considered
Christopher Newport University					Somewhat selective
College of William and Mary					Very selective
George Mason University					Somewhat selective
James Madison University					Somewhat selective
Longwood University					Somewhat selective
Norfolk State University					Somewhat selective
Old Dominion University					Less selective
Radford University					Less selective
University of Mary Washington					Less selective
University of Virginia					Very selective
University of Virginia's College at Wise					Somewhat selective
Virginia Commonwealth University					Somewhat selective
Virginia Military Institute					Very selective
Virginia Tech					Somewhat selective
Virginia State University					Less selective
Sources: The College Board, "Big Future," accessed March 30, 2015 CollegeData, "College 411," accessed March 30, 2015 *Note: This scale of college selectivity comes from The College Board and is measured as follows: Most selective, less than 25 percent admitted; Very selective, 25 percent to 50 percent admitted; Somewhat selective, 50 percent to 75 percent admitted; Less selective, more than 75 percent admitted; Open admission, all or most admitted.

Student costs

See also: Higher education tuition statistics

In-state and private tuition

Tuition accounts for just a portion of student costs; in many states, the cost of room and board equals or surpasses the cost of tuition at public universities. However, unlike room and board, tuition has risen much faster than inflation, increasing by 40 percent between the 2005-2006 and the 2015-2016 school years. The consumer price index increased by 21.5 percent over the same time period. Some studies suggest that universities have increased tuition as a response to state budget cuts, while others correlate rising tuition with the availability of financial aid.^[21][22][23]

In the 2013-2014 academic year, the national average in-state cost for tuition and required fees at a public four-year school totaled $8,312. For a private four-year school, the average was $25,696. In Virginia, these figures were higher for public institutions and lower for private institutions: $10,531 and $22,280, respectively. Public university tuition in the state increased 61 percent between 2005-2006 and 2015-2016. The graph below displays average tuition prices in Virginia as compared to the nationwide average for each year during that time. Hover over the points to view precise figures. The table below the graph compares 2013-2014 average annual tuition costs in Virginia with those in surrounding states.^[22][24]

Note: Discrepancies in data between the line graph and the table below are due to differing sources of information.

Out-of-state tuition

See also: Higher education tuition statistics

Public postsecondary schools receive some of their funding from their state's government. This money in turn comes from taxation of the state's residents. Since neither out-of-state students nor their parents paid that state's taxes, the schools charge these students additional tuition to account for the difference. This additional charge is a significant increase over in-state tuition in all 50 states. In the 2013-2014 school year, out-of-state students nationwide paid an average of $22,603 in annual tuition and required fees, 272 percent higher than the in-state average of $8,312.^[22]

Students attending public postsecondary institutions in Virginia from outside of the state were required to pay an average of $28,578, a 271 percent difference over the average in-state tuition of $10,531. The average out-of-state tuition price for Virginia was higher than the national average by about $5,969. The table below compares in-state and out-of-state tuition figures for Virginia with those of surrounding states.

Financial aid

See also: Higher education financial aid statistics

The federal government provides financial aid to undergraduate students in the form of grants and loans. Notable grants administered by the United States government include Pell Grants and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG). Loan programs administered by the federal government include the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program and Federal Perkins Loan Program. Perkins Loans have an interest rate of 5 percent, while Direct Loans have interest rates that vary based on the date of disbursement and the loan type: loans disbursed between July 1, 2014, and July 1, 2017, have interest rates ranging from 3.76 percent to 7.21 percent. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the average default rate on Perkins Loans was 11.8 percent for borrowers who entered into repayment in 2012; the rate reflects borrowers who defaulted prior to September 30, 2014. This is compared to average default rates of 7.2 percent on home loans and 2.23 percent on credit card loans in 2014.^{[25][26][27][28][29][30]}

In addition, colleges and universities often offer institution-specific financial aid to their students, and individual states may also administer student financial aid programs. According to the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs, the states disbursed approximately $11.7 billion in state-based financial aid to postsecondary students in the 2013-2014 academic year. This represented about 5 percent of all financial aid provided to undergraduate students, according to The College Board. Virginia awarded $468.7 million in state-based financial aid during that time. The table below provides state-based aid figures for Virginia and surrounding states in 2013-2014.^[31][32]

Student debt

See also: Student debt in higher education in the United States

Student debt is a major concern for both parents and students. According to the Institute for College Access and Success, in school year 2013-2014, an average of 62 percent of all students nationwide graduated with debt at an average of about $27,779 per borrower. The state with the lowest average debt held by students was Utah, where average student debt was about $18,921. Conversely, students who graduated from colleges and universities in Delaware held an average of about $33,808 in debt, the highest in the country.^[33][34]

During the 2013-2014 school year, about 60 percent of postsecondary students at both public and private schools in Virginia graduated with debt. Average debt held amounted to about $26,432, ranking 25th highest in the country. The table below compares the average student debt, percentage of graduates with debt, and national rankings of Virginia and surrounding states.

While tuition for private schools is typically higher than that of public schools, debt does not always follow this same pattern. The Institute for College Access and Success analyzed data on student debt held by graduates of public and private schools. They found that in the 2013-2014 school year, about 60 percent of students nationwide who graduated from a public institution had debt, which averaged about $25,665 per borrower. For private schools, they found that approximately 65 percent of students graduated with an average of $28,498 in debt. However, in some states, such as New Hampshire, students on average graduated from private schools with less debt than those who graduated from public schools.^[33][34]

During the 2013-2014 school year, about 57 percent of graduates from Virginia's public schools graduated with an average of $27,368 in debt. About 67 percent of private school students graduated with an average of $24,502 in debt. As this data shows, students who graduated from public schools during this year had more debt on average than those who graduated from private schools. The table below compares these statistics for Virginia with those of its surrounding states.

Outcomes

Retention rates

See also: Higher education retention rates

Retention rates indicate the percentage of freshmen postsecondary students who enroll the following academic year as sophomores. According to the NCHEMS Information Center for Higher Education Policymaking and Analysis:^[35]

Compared to neighboring states, Virginia had the highest total retention rate in the 2013-2014 school year at 74 percent. The table below compares retention rates in Virginia and surrounding states.^[36]

Graduation rates

See also: Higher education graduation rates

The table below, built from data compiled by The Chronicle of Higher Education, details graduation rates for Virginia and surrounding states. Although postsecondary schools are classified as four-year and two-year institutions, relatively few students actually complete degrees within these time frames. At four-year schools, students commonly take between four and six years to complete their degrees. Likewise, students at two-year institutions commonly take three years to complete their degrees. To illustrate this point, both four-year and six-year graduation rates are provided in the table below (only three-year rates are provided for two-year institutions, owing to a lack of information regarding two-year completion rates).^[37]

At public four-year colleges in Virginia, 51.6 percent graduated within four years, while 70.5 percent graduated within six years. These figures were higher than those of neighboring states. About 22.0 percent of Virginia students at public two-year colleges graduated within three years; this figure was also higher than those of neighboring states.^[38]

Study on college affordability and outcomes

College affordability and student debt have become major issues in higher education policy, particularly since the 2008 recession. The College Affordability Guide is an organization that evaluates colleges for their value, which is defined as providing a high-quality education that is affordable "not only for the average student, but for lower-income students as well." According to the College Affordability Guide, there are five colleges in Virginia that provide high-quality education at an affordable price. The College Affordability Guide's rankings consider a number of factors and are based on the idea that income-appropriate tuition, completing one's studies, and being able to pay back one's loans are the key elements of a worthwhile college experience. Colleges considered the best value by the guide meet the following criteria:^[39]

• Tuition at an average net price of $15,000 per year or less after financial aid for families making $48,000 per year or less
• At least 50 percent of students graduate or transfer
• At least 50 percent of students are actively paying down student loan debt three years after graduation

Additionally, all colleges considered are not-for-profit, offer associate or higher degrees, and have at least one non-standard way for students to earn college credits, such as AP or CLEP credit. The table below lists the colleges in Virginia that the College Affordability Guide considers to be the best value. The colleges are in no particular order. Full rankings and descriptions of the colleges can be found here.

Funding

Total state funding

See also: Higher education funding and Virginia state budget and finances

Higher education funding mechanisms differ depending on the type of institution. Public colleges receive the lion's share of their funding from state and local governments. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, state and local appropriations accounted for 53 percent of higher education revenues nationwide in 2013. By contrast, private institutions do not receive direct government funding. Instead, these institutions rely primarily on tuition, gifts, and endowments.^[40][41]

The 2008 recession led to decreased public higher education funding as college enrollment increased:

While there have been moderate increases in state allocations between 2012 and 2015, the average amount of spending "is still 15 percent less, per student, than before the economic downturn," according to a study by the State Higher Education Executive Offices (SHEEO).^[43]

According to Grapevine, which is published by Illinois State University's Center for the Study of Education Policy and SHEEO, financial support for public higher education in Virginia totaled $1.8 billion in fiscal year 2015, a 5.8 percent increase over fiscal year 2013. The table below lists higher education fiscal support figures for Virginia and surrounding states.^[44]

Funding per student

According to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, average adjusted public postsecondary appropriations per full-time student declined 13.3 percent from fiscal year 2009 to 2013 on average in the United States. In Virginia, appropriations per full-time student declined 23.1 percent during that same period. The table below lists adjusted public higher education appropriations per full-time student for Virginia and surrounding states in fiscal years 2009, 2013, and 2014.^[12]

Faculty

Faculty

See also: Higher education faculty statistics

Across the country, as student enrollment at postsecondary institutions has changed, so has the faculty. To meet rising demand, the number of faculty increased nationwide by just over 55 percent, from 515,684 to 800,611, between the 1993-1994 and 2013-2014 school years. In Virginia, the total number of faculty rose from 10,666 to 27,367. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the college faculty profession has one of the fastest growth rates in the nation and will see a 19 percent increase in jobs between 2012 and 2022.^[45][46][47]

Employment status

Employment of faculty at four-year public institutions in Virginia

While the total number of faculty at public colleges and universities continued to rise over the previous two decades, the portion of faculty who work part time rose more quickly. By the mid-1990s, part-time faculty comprised over half of total instructional faculty, a figure which continued to increase before leveling off in 2013. In the 2013-2014 school year, just over 55 percent of instructional faculty nationwide worked part time. The number of part-time faculty, including teaching and research assistants, outnumbered full-time faculty in all but 11 states. The number of teaching and research assistants alone outnumbered full-time faculty in five states. Virginia was not one of these states. According to the Southern Regional Education Board,^[45][46]

In Virginia, the percentage of all part-time faculty, including graduate assistants, increased from 17.8 percent to 52.3 percent between the 1993-1994 and 2013-2014 school years. Below is a table that provides figures on full-time and part-time faculty employment in Virginia as compared to surrounding states.^[46]

Salaries

According to the Southern Regional Education Board, although the salaries of full-time faculty at public four-year institutions are higher than the those of the average American worker, their growth has not kept pace with the average rate of salary increases across all professions. However, salary growth at private institutions has outpaced the national average rate. From the 2008-2009 to the 2013-2014 school years, the average salary for full-time instructional faculty at public four-year institutions nationwide rose from $76,009 to $79,293. In Virginia, the average salary increased from $80,440 to $87,041. The table below provides faculty salary information for the school years 2008-2009 and 2013-2014 for Virginia and surrounding states. Dollar figures have not been adjusted for inflation.^[46]

Demographics

Over the previous two decades, the proportions of female, black, and Hispanic faculty members at public colleges and universities nationwide increased to reach their highest levels ever in the 2013-2014 school year. In Virginia, 40.7 percent of full-time college faculty were female, 6.7 percent were black, and 2.8 percent were Hispanic. Female and Hispanic representation in college faculty at that time was higher than in the 1993-1994 school year. However, the percentages of faculty who were female, black, and Hispanic still fell below the proportions of both the general and college student populations who were female, black, and Hispanic. Click [show] on the green bar below the pie charts to view demographic information for full-time faculty at public four-year colleges and universities in Virginia from the 1993-1994 to the 2013-2014 school years. For this reason, the pie chart displays a different figure for 'Other' than the table.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Virginia higher education. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

See also

• Public education in Virginia
• Virginia state budget and finances
• Historical higher education information in Virginia

Higher education in the 50 states

Click on a state below to read more about higher education in that state.

Footnotes

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