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WVU Governors Approve 2024 Budget

The West Virginia University Board of Governors has approved a reduced budget for 2024.

In April, West Virginia University announced it was estimating a budget deficit of $45 million for the coming year.

Friday morning the university’s Board of Governors approved an estimated $1.2 billion budget for fiscal year 2024.

The fiscal plan contains an estimated $33 million in increased revenues, including one-time-use resources from the WVU Foundation, and tuition and fees increases of about 3 percent.

The plan also requires reduced expenses totaling nearly $10 million, $7 million of which comes from a reduction in the number of employees.

Marty Becker, chairman of the board, said further cuts will be necessary moving forward.

“(The) university anticipates that it will need to reduce expenses by another $24 million, approximately, in additional, permanent reductions for fiscal year 25. So a two-step process over that period,” he said.

The board also endorsed the recently announced merger of the Reed College of Media with the College of Creative Arts. The merger comes as WVU Provost Maryanne Reed announced that several academic programs at the university are being reviewed.

“We are working with our consultant, the RPK group, to help us identify the programs of concern that have either small enrollments, declines in enrollments, declines in net revenue or in some cases challenges in all three areas,” she said.

The full list of programs tagged for further review is set to be released the week of July 10, along with data, analysis and details on the decision-making process.

WVU Tech in Beckley and Potomac State College in Keyser will follow a separate timeline and process, according to Reed.

Marshall University Reducing Some Tuition Fees To Enhance Student Recruitment

University employees are also expected to receive a nominal pay raise of $1,350.

On Wednesday, the Marshall University Board of Governors approved the university’s 2023-2024 budget.

Tuition highlights include a two and a half percent increase in tuition and fees for resident and non-resident undergraduate and graduate students, as well as an 11 percent reduction in tuition and fees for students identified as residents of the designated metro counties in neighboring Ohio and Kentucky.

Marshall Chief Financial Officer Matt Tidd said the double-digit reduction for the metro region brings tuition for the border university more in line with in-state tuition offered at schools in the region.

Tidd said Marshall must enroll slightly fewer than 100 metro students to offset the fee reduction.

The approved fiscal year 2024 budget includes projected revenues of almost $314 million and projected expenses of almost $342 million and includes a $37.2 million athletics budget.

The university is facing nearly a $28 million deficit, but Tidd said they are planning several initiatives to narrow the gap including continuing to grow research grants and enrollment, as well as introducing a “Save to Serve” culture to eliminate waste and inefficiencies through a shared governance accountability model and investing in e-procurement capabilities.

Marshall University President Brad Smith told the board the school’s ‘value position’ regarding student recruitment is very simple.

“You want to provide access to an affordable, flexible, achievement oriented education for all who aspire to a more prosperous life,” Smith said.

University employees are also expected to receive a nominal pay raise of $1,350.

Public Colleges and Universities in W.Va. See Lowest Tuition Increase in Nearly Ten Years

It’s not uncommon for tuition rates at universities and colleges to fluctuate in price from year-to-year. But this year, at West Virginia’s colleges and universities, the average tuition increase is the lowest for the state in almost a decade.

For the upcoming 2019-2020 school year, the average cost for in-state tuition at West Virginia’s four-year institutions will be $7,690, according to the Higher Education Policy Commission. That’s a 2.4 percent increase over last year’s tuition rates.

To put that in perspective – basically for the upcoming school year, students will be spending an average of $177 more on their yearly tuition.

According to Sarah Tucker, Interim Chancellor of the HEPC, this is the lowest increase in nearly ten years. She says this low increase comes as a result of four-year institutions trying to keep their tuition prices predictable and affordable.

Tuition for all public four-year institutions.

Two institutions, Glenville State College and West Virginia State University, did not see a tuition increase this year. This is the second year that Glenville State College kept its tuition rate the same from one year to the next.

A full schedule of all tuition, fees, room and board may be found in the meeting agenda book.

Report: W.Va. Schools' Tuition Doubles Over 15 Years

The average cost of tuition at West Virginia’s public universities and colleges has doubled in the past 15 years, according to a new report.

The West Virginia Center on Budget Policy released a report Monday showing average tuition has increased by about $4,200 a year at the state’s four-year colleges and universities since 2002, media outlets said.

That’s a roughly 147 percent increase, which outpaced the rate of inflation during that same period.

According to the report, continued decreases in state funding to schools have caused tuition to rise rapidly, thus making college less affordable than it used to be.

“I think this is important to be aware of in a state like West Virginia, which has the lowest level of college-educated adults in its workforce, higher education is one of the areas we should be investing in, not cutting,” said Sean O’Leary, a senior policy analyst at the nonprofit police research organization.

Right now, state lawmakers are debating how much higher education should be cut in next year’s budget. Among the proposals from the Republican-majority leadership have been $150 million in cuts to higher education, the state’s public K-12 system and the Department of Health and Human Resources.

Had the cost of tuition kept pace with the rate of inflation, O’Leary said tuition would have increased only 33 percent from 2002 to 2016.

“To make college more affordable and accessible, the state will have to restore adequate funding to public higher education institutions in the state and explore other ways to reduce the costs of higher education,” the report said.

Tuition Increases Rejected for Three Community Colleges

The board that oversees West Virginia’s community and technical colleges has rejected tuition increases for three schools.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the Council for Community and Technical Colleges approved two of five requests to increase tuition more than 5 percent on Friday.

The council rejected tuition increases for BridgeValley Community and Technical College, Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College and West Virginia University at Parkersburg. Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College asked for a 12 percent increase, but the council approved a 9 percent hike. The council approved a 7 percent increase for New River Community Technical College.

The decision means some schools will have to reconsider their budgets two weeks into the new fiscal year. Four colleges increased tuition less than 5 percent, which does not require council approval.

Marshall University Approves 5 Percent Tuition Increase

Marshall University in Huntington has approved a $119 million budget that will increase tuition by 5 percent.

The university’s board members approved the budget Wednesday.

Tuition will be increased across the board for in-state, out-of-state and metro students. Overall, the tuition increase equates to an increase of $170 per semester for in-state students, an extra $390 per semester for out-of-state students and an additional $299 for metro students.

Marshall University President Jerome Gilbert says the university’s tuition remains an affordable option.

The budget will also include $45.9 million in allocations from the state of West Virginia, about $55.8 million from tuition and fees and a $3.1 million dip into the university’s reserve funds.