Virtual public comment opportunity set for March 5
The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors will meet on Tuesday, March 25, at 1:15 p.m. in 2100 Torgersen Hall, 620 Drillfield Drive in Blacksburg, to consider tuition and mandatory fees for the 2025-26 academic year.
In advance of the March board meeting, Virginia Tech will provide a virtual public comment opportunity on Wednesday, March 5, at 4 p.m. The link to observe this event or to pre-register to speak will be posted on the Board of Visitors website. Several members of the Board of Visitors will participate virtually as university officials provide an overview of proposed tuition and fees ranges and to receive public comment consistent with guidelines posted to the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors website.
Tuition and fees support the university’s major strategic initiatives — Virginia Tech Global Distinction and Virginia Tech Advantage — and serve as the primary source of operating revenue for delivering programs to our students. Tuition and fees are set in the context of university cost drivers and available state funding. Over the last several years, the board has prioritized the affordability of a Virginia Tech degree while making targeted investments that enhance the value of a Virginia Tech education to both students and the commonwealth and continue to position the university as a leader in teaching, research, and outreach.
With a heightened focus on student affordability, the university launched Virginia Tech Advantage, which leverages state, philanthropic, and university resources to reduce unmet financial need and increase support for students’ basic needs, career preparation, and transformational learning experiences. In addition to Virginia Tech Advantage, the university continues to mitigate tuition increases through the strategic alignment of incremental state funding, cost containment strategies, administrative efficiencies, and internal reallocations to maximize available resources.
As a result of these continued efforts, the board has been able to limit the cumulative in-state undergraduate tuition increase to just 14 percent over the last five years while inflation has increased 23 percent. This was achieved while making a sustained commitment to advancing first generation and low-income student enrollment, increasing institutional support for student financial aid, and advancing critical initiatives that enhance Virginia Tech’s mission as a leading global land-grant institution.
For FY26, the university administration is modeling increases in tuition and Educational and General (E&G) fees from 0 to 2.9 percent, which is below the 4.9 percent increase included in the university’s six-year plan approved by the Board of Visitors in November. Through Funds for the Future, Virginia Tech will provide incremental aid to undergraduate families with incomes below $115,000, sheltering them from tuition and fee increases in FY26. The university administration also will recommend increases between $0 and $186 for mandatory non-E&G fees to support mandated cost increases including employee compensation and benefits, support for intercollegiate athletics, and sustaining and enhancing student services including the transit system and student health and counseling services.
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