The Radford University Board of Visitors has approved to hike tuition and fees for in-state undergraduates by 4.5 percent or $386 per year for the academic year 2013-14, after an 11-3 voting result.
The tuition increase is stated to be considerably higher when compared to the fee-raise proposed by the President Penelope Kyle (3.9 percent)
The overall tuition and fee for Radford's in-state undergraduates comes up to $8,976.
Proponents allege that tuition hikes are alternative sources of money required to maintain the quality of higher education, as the university has been experiencing low revenues for the past few years.
About 95 percent of Radford's student population consists of in-state undergraduates.
On the other hand, out-of-state undergraduates will pay an extra 4.9 percent or $981 next year, bringing their total tuition and mandatory fees to $21,141.
On-campus housing rates and meal plans are also set to increase.
Radford's 4.5 percent raise for in-state students is in compliance with the governor's suggested limit.
The proposed tuition hike has not gone down well with certain community members.
Apart from Radford, Norfolk State University, another Virginia-based institution, increased the tuition by 5.5 percent and room and board rates by 3 percent for the academic year of 2013-14 last month.
Norfolk State University was the first Virginia College to announce new costs for the coming academic year.
Starting next year, in-state undergraduates will have to pay $3,619 for 15 credit hours per semester, which is an increase of $189 from the current tuition fee of $3,430.
President Tony Atwater said that the tuition hike was necessary to maintain and improve the university's revenue stream, as the state has instructed them to handle their own costs, including health insurance.
