The George Washington University Board of Trustees today voted to guarantee no tuition increase for returning undergraduate students and limit the increase in the overall cost of attendance for incoming students to no more than 3.4 percent. This is the fifth consecutive year that the university has held increases in the overall cost of attendance (tuition, room and board) to around 3 percent, which has placed GW’s percentage increase during the past four years below those of most major private universities.
“This year’s tuition plan preserves our innovative program of fixed tuition and financial aid for continuing students while allowing us to continue strengthening our academic programs and to make new investments in student life and career services,” said GW President Steven Knapp.
The Board of Trustees approved a continuation of the university’s 2004 program of fixed tuition and guaranteed financial aid, which locks in an incoming student’s cost of tuition for a five-year period and ensures that need- and merit-based institutional grants remain at least at the levels awarded at the time of a student’s initial enrollment. Approximately two-thirds of George Washington undergraduates receive financial aid.
With fixed tuition, returning undergraduates will have no increase in their tuition for the 2012-13 academic year. The annual tuition for incoming undergraduate students in fall 2012 will be locked in at $45,780 annually for up to five years, as long as they remain in good academic standing. Underscoring the university’s commitment to containing costs, the total cost of attendance will increase by no more than 3.4 percent, depending on a student’s housing selection. Tuition will increase 3.7 percent for incoming students.