"For the first time in five years, tuition at Virginia’s 23 community colleges is being raised. 

Thursday, the State Board for Community Colleges approved a 3% increase in tuition for the upcoming 2023-24 school year. That translates into an extra $4.61 per credit hour. 

Incoming students will pay $2,379 for a typical 15 credit-hour semester. 

The board cited uncertainty over the Virginia General Assembly ever acting on a budget for the decision to pull the trigger on a tuition increase.  

The increase will only apply to tuition since associated fees vary among the colleges. 

Also not going up are the tuition differential rates charged by eight of the community colleges, which includes Brightpoint Community College in Chesterfield County and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in metro Richmond. The rates allow the eight schools to address unique priorities not shared by any other schools," reports The Progress-Index. 

Photo courtesy of Brightpoint Community College.