Virginia Union University, a private historically Black university in Richmond, has announced a significant change in its tuition structure. The university enrolls about 1,200 undergraduate students and 350 graduate students according to the most recent statistics of the U.S. Department of Education. African Americans make up over 90 percent of the undergraduate student body.
The university announced recently that as part of the university’s “Access to Excellence” initiative, undergraduate tuition would be reduced by 32 percent. This amounts to a reduction of approximately $5,000. The new tuition rate will begin with the Fall 2020 semester and all enrolled students will be eligible.
“We realize how crippling student loan debt has become for students nation-wide,” said Dr. Hakim Lucas, president of Virginia Union University. “Students enroll in college seeking a career path that will allow an opportunity for long-term financial stability. However, they end up spending most of their working years paying back student loans. Virginia Union is doing what it can to ensure that students in the Commonwealth and across the nation have access to an education that will equip them with the tools they need to be successful, while avoiding the crippling bill waiting at the other end of graduation.”
While undergraduates will see a significant reduction in tuition, rates for graduate students will increase substantially. Doctoral students will pay more than twice the rate per credit hour.
