For press releases issued after to Jan. 20, 2012, see http://newsdesk.gmu.edu/category/press-releases/
May. 7, 2008
Media Contact: Daniel Walsch, dwalsch@gmu.edu 703-993-8785
Tuition and fees for in-state undergraduate students are raised by 9.8 percent
FAIRFAX, Va., May 8, 2008 -- George Mason University's Board of Visitors (BOV) voted to raise annual tuition and fees for in-state undergraduate students by $672 for the upcoming 2008-09 academic year. The BOV's decision also includes increases in annual tuition and fees for other categories of students. In addition, the university has increased need and merit-based financial aid.
This decision allows Mason to invest in academic excellence, scholarships for students, faculty and staff salary increases, expanded teaching spaces and research, as well as fund an increasing share of its operating budget as the percentage funded by the Commonwealth of Virginia continues to decline.
"As the governing body of George Mason University, the Board of Visitors has a responsibility to ensure the teaching and research mission at the university is funded. In our judgment, the proposed state funding was inadequate to support this core mission and, therefore, this action was necessary," said BOV Rector Ernst Volgenau.
Despite the increase, Mason's tuition will remain lower than nearly half of Virginia's other four-year colleges and universities. Tuition and fees for in-state undergraduate students attending Mason will be $7,512 per year.
In making this decision, the BOV acknowledged the Virginia General Assembly's efforts to provide access to higher education to qualified undergraduates and said the university will continue to work with the state to support this effort.
"George Mason University continues to work closely with the governor's office and with the state legislature to seek ways to help us maintain a reasonable level of cost for prospective students," said Volgenau. "But as one of Virginia's fastest growing institutions of higher learning, George Mason must have its needs balanced against the realities of maintaining the highest level of standards in order to provide our students and region with outstanding faculty and the best facilities we can."
About George Mason University
George Mason University, located in the heart of Northern Virginia's technology corridor near Washington, D.C., is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with national distinction in a range of academic fields. With strong undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering, information technology, biotechnology and health care, Mason prepares its students to succeed in the work force and meet the needs of the region and the world. Mason professors conduct groundbreaking research in areas such as cancer, climate change, information technology and the biosciences, and Mason's Center for the Arts brings world-renowned artists, musicians and actors to its stage. Its School of Law is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top 40 law schools in the United States.
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