News Release
2022-23 Tuition and Housing Announced
Southern Virginia University today announced tuition, housing, and dining pricing for the 2022–23 academic year.
“We work hard to keep our tuition as affordable as possible,” said Executive VP and Chief Marketing Officer Chris Pendleton. “A personalized education at Southern Virginia University costs less than half the average for private four-year colleges nationwide—and that’s before we award more than $5 million annually in institutional merit- and need-based scholarships to virtually all of our eligible students.
“We were especially mindful of our students and parents during the pandemic,” continued Pendleton. “Over the past two years, we implemented only very modest increases in tuition and no increases to housing despite incurring many additional costs related to operating during the pandemic. But with current inflation rates tracking at record levels, we have to raise pricing— though we are increasing by only 5% while inflation is predicted to rise by at least 7% and possibly as much as 10-12%, according to some experts.”
In the past year, the United States consumer price index rose by historic levels—the fastest-pace increase in nearly 40 years. While businesses everywhere adjust to rising prices of operations, Southern Virginia University will only increase by a fraction of overall inflation.
“We recognize and appreciate that costs are going up across the board for everybody, and that includes our own operational expenses,” said Chief Financial Officer Tyson Cooper. “But instead of passing on that full cost of inflation to our students, we’ve found ways to resourcefully operate and pass on only a portion of the total increase to our students.”
With this 5% increase, Southern Virginia University’s tuition for the 2022-23 academic year is $9,429 per semester or $18,858 for the academic year—still half the average cost of private four-year colleges before aid and less than the average cost of out-of-state public institutions after aid. Historically, Southern Virginia University has maintained an average tuition increase of 3%—less than half the 6.2% average increase for private four-year institutions.
“In addition to carefully managing costs, we award nearly six million in institutional scholarships to our students annually,” said Cooper. “And we try to be very conscious to direct that money where it can have the most impact, or in other words, to those who need it most.
“We are also grateful to our generous supporters and friends of the University who offer over millions of dollars in additional support and scholarships to our students to help make their education as affordable as possible—before federal aid and grants,” Cooper continued.
The deadline to submit applications for donor and endowed scholarships for the 2022-23 academic year was March 26, 2022, while institution scholarships are available year-round. For a complete list of institutional scholarships, please visit svu.edu/admissions/scholarships-and-aid.
2022-23 Student Fee
In addition to the change in tuition, Southern Virginia University will charge a $250 student fee per semester beginning in Fall 2022 to help support the campus technological infrastructure.
“Each year, student demand increases for more technological support, and for faster, more robust internet access,” said Dr. Jon Wallin, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer. “This increased demand applies to learning environments as well as well as for other personal pursuits such as streaming video, gaming, and online shopping.”
This new fee will allow the University to continue to improve its technological support for students, including increasing the security, reliability, bandwidth, and coverage of campus WiFi in both campus buildings and University residence halls.
“We’ve seen our bandwidth usage increase every year for the past four years,” said Wallin. “Part of this is due to how students use their University-provided iPads inside and outside of the classroom. The way in which our current students consume media is also driving up demand for more robust WiFi.
“The addition of this student fee will help us to keep pace with the learning and media needs native to this generation of students,” continued Wallin. “As a University, we have made a commitment to providing our students with universal access to state-of-the-art technology and secure internet connectivity.”
With support from this fee, the University will continue to improve its technological infrastructure and support for students in their educational and other pursuits, including increasing the security, reliability, bandwidth, and coverage of campus WiFi in both campus buildings and student residence halls.
“Virtually every institution of higher education has student fees which can often accumulate to thousands of dollars per individual,” said Pendleton. “To support our massive investment in technology over the past four years—including brand new iPads for every new student included as part of tuition—we need to add a relatively small student fee.”
Since its implementation in 2017, the LaunchPad Initiative has facilitated collaboration between students and faculty, driven down the cost of expensive textbooks, and prepared students to launch into successful lives and careers. The initiative includes equipping every new student with a new iPad, classrooms with high-definition monitors and self-contained Apple TV systems for interactive teaching and learning, and campus WiFi with upgraded capabilities.
As a result, the University’s data points tracking the student-learning experience, student engagement, and learning outcomes have all surged across the board. By 2019, Apple named Southern Virginia University an Apple Distinguished School for its innovative uses of technology in learning, teaching, and school environment.
2022 Summer Term
The 2022 Summer term tuition will remain discounted at $2600 for full-time tuition (6–8 credits) or $495 per credit for part-time tuition. Summer University housing will be available in the Walnut Apartments for $295 per month.