Today, Partners for College Affordability and Public Trust released the following statement in response to the College of William & Mary's Board of Visitors' recently approved 2020-2021 tuition rates for in-state undergraduates. While returning in-state undergraduates will see a zero percent tuition increase next year, in accordance with the William & Mary Promise, the board approved a 3 percent increase for in-state freshman and incoming transfer students. A statement circulated by the university cited recent changes to the university's six-year plan submitted to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) earlier this year, which outlined modifications to the William & Mary Promise that limit tuition increases for incoming in-state students to 3 percent.

"It’s a step in the right direction that William & Mary, under the leadership of new president Katherine Rowe, plans to limit future tuition increases for new in-state undergraduates by modifying the promise program," said Stacie Gordon, Partners’ state advocacy manager. "But while a three percent increase is an improvement over the steep increases the board approved in the past, any increase places William & Mary back on the unproductive path of rising tuition after a one-year reprieve. Moving forward, we encourage the board to find ways to go even further by keeping tuition increases below three percent, or even reducing it across the board."

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