Prestigious Universities Flex Their Offers

The Washington Post: "The imperative to fill seats is urgent for almost all colleges during the economic downturn. But for public universities, it is especially vital to secure out-of-state students because they typically pay higher tuition rates. Hundreds of colleges and universities have pushed back decision deadlines to June 1. Some prestigious schools that held to May 1 nevertheless gave more time to those who asked. Greg W. Roberts, dean of admissions at the University of Virginia, said the school gave about 100 extensions. Roberts said U-Va. is on track to fill its incoming class of about 3,750 students, with its usual mix of about two-thirds from Virginia and one third from elsewhere. But he is keeping close watch on international enrollment, which is vulnerable to pandemic travel restrictions, and the university began to make offers from its wait list in April, somewhat earlier than usual." "Undergraduate tuition varies at U-Va. depending on academic fields. But a Virginian enrolling next fall in the College of Arts & Sciences who did not receive financial aid would be charged about $14,000, not counting fees, room and board. An out-of-state student would be charged about $48,000. Multiplied times thousands of students, the out-of-state rate yields tens of millions of dollars in revenue, for U-Va. and many other public universities." "That is critical for those schools in an era when state appropriations fund a smaller share of their operating budgets. The economic crisis caused by the pandemic could also squeeze state funding. And international enrollment, another key source of revenue, could plummet. Students from China and other countries pay the out-of-state rate at public universities and form a large share of the student body — sometimes 10 percent or more."