Old Dominion University will be raising its tuition rates after the Spring 2022 semester. Students will see an increase in their tuition after the ODU Board of Visitors approved raising the rate on April 22.

Full-time, in-state undergraduate students will see a 2.99% increase in overall costs while graduate students will see a 3.06% increase. Out-of-state tuition rates will not change. 

According to ODU’s website: “For the 2022-2023 academic year, full-time in-state undergraduates will pay $11,630 in yearly tuition and mandatory fees, representing a 2.99% tuition increase and 5.57% auxiliary student fee increase. The total increase equates to an additional cost of $470 per student for those taking 30 credit hours a year.”

This marks the first tuition rate increase since 2018. Despite the tuition increase, ODU remains one of the most affordable institutions in Virginia. 

Chad Reed, vice president for administration and finance and chief financial officer, went before the board to present the tuition rate increase for ODU students. 

“You’re not going to find another institution in the Commonwealth of Virginia that has the dedicated faculty, research facilities, infrastructure or such outstanding athletic programs at this price,” Reed said.

“The university faces cost increases, including ongoing inflation, the escalating costs of utilities, and promotion and tenure contractual commitments for teaching and research faculty,” he continued. Reed cited all these factors as necessitating the increase for tuition rates.

ODU’s tuition increase comes in anticipation of the Virginia General Assembly approving the new biennial budget. Part of this includes raising compensation for state employees, which would see ODU’s share of the compensation rise accordingly. 

ODU’s plans for the 2022-23 academic year include allocating more funds to a wide range of programs, as well as public safety retention and increasing wages for student workers. 

“Old Dominion University will be able to invest in our world-class faculty, facilities and leadership in research,” said President Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D. “We are committed to maintaining an affordable and accessible path for all students to gain an excellent education at one of the nation’s leading research institutions.”

ODU has also been ranked among top universities for the third year for its performance on social mobility, garnering praise for its success in graduating students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Additionally, ODU was recently awarded the Research 1 Classification from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education in December 2021. This puts ODU in the top bracket of research institutions in the United States.