UMW hikes graduate tuition, undergrad remains flat

Graduate students at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg and Stafford County will pay more for classes next year. The university announced it would hike tuition for graduate students by 3% to $30,755.

However, undergraduates will continue to pay the same tuition fees. In-state residents living on campus will pay $32,415 per year. Out of state, $50,930.

UMW’s main campus is located in Fredericksburg, while its graduate student campus sits at Village Parkway and Route 17 in south Stafford County.

The University of Mary Washington Board of Visitors approved tuition and fees for the 2023-24 academic year at its May 18, 2023, meeting. Undergraduate tuition will remain the same in the coming year. Graduate tuition will increase 3%, and the auxiliary comprehensive fee and housing and dining fees for all students will increase by 5%.

UMW’s tuition and fee rates are one part of the equation to begin the year with a balanced budget, a requirement for public colleges in Virginia. In addition, the University relies on the state budget, and in recent years has pulled in reserve funding, particularly during the pandemic when enrollment varied.

All three strategies will once again result in a balanced budget to start fiscal year 2024, overcoming a deficit of nearly $7 million. The total is due to inflationary cost increases and changes in base expenses, primarily in energy and dining charges; state-mandated increases in salaries and health insurance premiums as well as minimum wage and administrative system charges for financial, human resources and information technology services; and adjustments to revenue sources from enrollment.

UMW’s Board of Visitors began discussing potential increases in tuition and fees in February 2023, with a public comment period with the Board. The University also hosted staff and faculty budget forums, and an SGA and UMW administration joint forum on the budget and tuition setting on April 10.