The Vermont State Colleges finance committee on Sept. 1 voted to recommend to the full board tuition and fee proposals submitted by the Community College of Vermont and Vermont State University for the 2026–27 academic year.

CCV’s president asked the committee to authorize an increase of up to $10 per credit for next year, repeating the college’s approach of framing changes as a dollar-per-credit adjustment to make impacts clearer for students. The presenter said CCV sought “up to $10” and would not exceed that amount, but would wait for final state legislative action before setting a final figure. The CCV presentation noted the college had held tuition flat for five years and raised tuition last year by about $10 per credit (roughly a 3% increase).

The CCV presentation included context for why its tuition appears higher than some peers: a long-running funding mix in which a larger share of operating revenue historically comes from tuition rather than state appropriation, and the college’s administrative fee structure (a single $100 administrative fee rather than separate per-credit fees used elsewhere). CCV also described progress expanding low-cost or no-cost course materials; the presenter said about 50%–70% of course sections are now designated low-cost or no-cost for students.

Vermont State University requested a 3.5% increase in tuition and fees and a 5% increase in its board (meal plan) rate. President Berg said the proposal reflected inflationary pressures on utilities, vendor contracts, facilities management, instructional resources and the recent settlement of bargaining-unit agreements. The university also cited the higher marginal costs for dining services on campuses with lower occupancy and said a work group led by Dean of Students Jamia Danzi is reviewing dining-contract options tied to campus-specific service levels.

Both presidents described program-level supplemental tuition for high-cost programs — for example, engineering — that is added to the board-approved base tuition. Berg said the university will study its differential tuition model this year and bring recommendations to the board before the next tuition cycle.

Trustees asked questions about residency rules and the composition of in-state versus out-of-state students. A system presenter noted Vermont State Colleges policy requires one year of residence to qualify for in-state tuition; presenters also discussed populations such as refugees and recent immigrants who may be eligible for in-state treatment under discrete policy provisions. Both institutions said they had examined the fiscal implications of eliminating an out-of-state differential and previously concluded such a change would have required substantial additional subsidy.

After discussion the committee moved and seconded a recommendation to forward both institutions’ tuition and fee proposals to the full board. The motion carried on a voice vote, recorded as unanimous.

The committee requested follow-up data: a per-student average cost comparison that would include the effects of the 802 Opportunity and other scholarship programs; more detailed breakout of which student populations are paying in-state versus out-of-state rates; and a study of the supplemental/differential tuition structure and online tuition comparisons.

Notes: the board action at the committee level was limited to recommending the proposals to the full board; final tuition rates will be set by the full board and may be affected by pending legislative actions and further budget work by each institution.