Chancellor Sonny Perdue tells Senate study committee Georgia tuition remains low but affordability gaps persist

Chancellor Sonny Perdue, head of the University System of Georgia, told members of a Senate study committee that tuition at Georgia public colleges remains comparatively low but that affordability challenges persist for many students.

Perdue opened his presentation by pointing committee members to a 30‑page slide deck and national data sources, saying the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System spreadsheets the committee received will “shed some important light.” He noted USG yearly tuition and fees average “approximately $6,500” and called attention to a Department of Audits finding that student‑level share of cost fell, saying institutional mandatory fees “were virtually all below the inflation” rate over recent years.

Why it matters: Perdue framed higher education affordability as both a tuition question and a living‑cost question. He emphasized that while tuition and mandatory fees have been…