Virginia Gov. McDonnell’s Higher Education Plan May Make It Harder For Low-Income Students To Afford School

In his proposed 2012-2014 budget, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) included $100 million more for higher education funding, a welcome development at a time when many states are cutting back on their higher education budgets. However, as Inside Higher Ed reported, some education administrators are worried that McDonnell’s proposal to cap the percentage of in-state tuition funds that can be used provide financial aid to other students may result in low-income students getting priced out of Virginia’s schools:

Most higher education administrators declined to criticize the governor, but a handful have spoken out against the plan. They noted that the measure would likely have the opposite effect from the one McDonnell intends, making college more expensive, particularly for low-income students.

“Given that tuition has been for some time used as a source to meet the financial need of students, the university sees the language in the introduced budget as likely to have unintended consequences in terms of the net price and affordability for student and families as well as on the capacity of higher education institutions of the Commonwealth to meet the objectives of the Higher Education Opportunity Act,” said Michael Strine, executive vice president and chief operating officer at the University of Virginia.

In the last ten years, “tuition prices at Virginia institutions doubled on average.” McDonnell’s plan also comes at a time when aid for higher education at the federal level is being cut, even as student debt levels continues to break and then re-break records each year.