Sal Orlando, News Editor
Maeve Bauer, Executive Editor
VCU in-state undergraduate students are now paying 3.9% more on their tuition this academic year.
In-state undergraduate students enrolled in 15 credits per semester are now paying $17,963 in tuition and mandatory fees, according to VCU News.
Virginia’s average increase in tuition for in-state undergraduates is 3.2%, according to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. VCU had the second highest percentage increase in the state, behind Old Dominion University.
Almost 80% of registered voters in Virginia’s July 2026 Commonwealth Poll believe that cost is too high to attend college in Virginia, reflecting a 10% increase since the winter poll.
VCU cited that the tuition increase covered mandated costs, which includes salary increases, student internships, security and service contracts, graduate stipends and military tuition waivers, per a previous CT report.
“VCU has the highest percentage of VMSDEP-eligible students among Virginia’s public institutions, with approximately 6% of our in-state undergraduate population participating in the program,” Brian McNeill, a VCU spokesperson, stated in an email. “As a result, VCU also has the highest VMSDEP waiver costs in the state.”
McNeill stated that VCU’s average net price has stayed flat for families earning under $110,000 per year since 2019, McNeill stated.
“In 2024-25, the average financial aid awarded to full-time undergraduate students seeking assistance was $20,105,” McNeill stated. “That year, more than $328 million in financial aid was disbursed to approximately 17,788 undergraduate students at VCU.”
VCU recently expanded the Transforming Federal Work-Study program, now admitting 150 students this year, according to VCU News.
The Federal Work-Study aid program provides jobs to students with financial needs for school-related and living expenses. Participants can earn up to $2,000 dollars a semester.
Valerie Sutton, VCU Federal Work-Study Internship Coordinator, stated in an email that VCU maximizes its FWS allocation annually.
“Reductions from the Department of Education in Federal Work-Study funding to VCU have occurred annually since Fiscal Year 2025, which impacts the overall pool of funds,” Sutton stated. “VCU is committed to FWS remaining a critical option to boost student access to career experiences, and has committed institutional funds in addition to the federal allocation for Fiscal Year 2027.”
The Transforming Federal Work Study program aims to double the number of positions over the next three years, according to Sutton.
“Eligible students who apply fill positions at an exceptionally high rate,” Sutton stated. “The TFWS program achieved a 99% position fill rate over the past two years and remains on track to hit that benchmark again this year.”
Marco Rivera, a second-year criminal justice student who holds a work study position at the Institute of Transformative Justice through VCU work-study, the university did not make an effort to adjust work-study rewards to match the overall tuition increase.
“I think since they’re definitely increasing the tuition, they should also definitely increase the amount of money that you get from federal work-study,” Rivera said.
Rivera did not have trouble adjusting his schedule to include a job, but has struggled to adjust his budget to the tuition increase, sharing that he had to take a loan out this year to stay afloat.
Lillie Dotson, a second-year international studies student, relates to Rivera’s struggle with the tuition increase. Dotson feels the rate at which in-state tuition is increasing is “bizarre”, especially with how high interest loan rates are, unable to find anything lower than 18%.
Registered voters support expanding work-study opportunities, with 65% saying it would be a policy to help make college more affordable, according to the Commonwealth Poll.
Dotson said the pay through this program does not scratch the surface of the cost of college.
“I understand that the school is in a difficult position,” Dotson said. “However, it’s truly difficult to wake up and find the motivation to continue going to school regardless of how much I want my diploma”
Seli Mahray, a third-year nursing student, said she was unaware of the tuition increase and wondered why the numbers did not add up when she paid her bill.
“I’m blessed enough to have scholarships and grants and obviously in-state tuition,” Mahray said. “The damage to me might not be as big as the damage to someone else.”
Mahray said with the increased amount she pays to attend VCU, she wants to see better parking options, especially on the MCV campus.
Christian Marasigan, a fourth-year computer science major, said that he wished VCU offered more aid with the increased money they receive from students’ tuition. Several external scholarships, and a scholarship through the School of Engineering help him pay for school.
“Being a fourth-year, I’ve kinda unfortunately just become numb to it [tuition increasing] in all honesty,” Marasigan said. “It’s known that VCU is a college that raises its tuition annually.”
Tuition for in-state undergraduate students has gone up almost 15% since the 2022-2023 school year, according to College Tuition Compare.