Overview of Higher Education System in Virginia
Virginia Colleges & Universities
For links to individual institutions, click here: http://schev.edu/students/collegeListAlpha.asp
15 Public Four-Year Institutions
- Christopher Newport University
- College of William and Mary
- George Mason University
- James Madison University
- Longwood University
- Norfolk State University
- Old Dominion University
- Radford University
- University of Mary Washington
- University of Virginia
- UVa’s College at Wise
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Virginia Military Institute
- Virginia State University
- Virginia Tech
1 Public Junior College
- Richard Bland College
23 Public Community Colleges (40 campuses)
Over 300 Non-public Institutions
- 70 private, non-profit institutions (this number includes exempt schools)
- 49 private, for-profit institutions
- 67 out-of-state institutions
- 153 vocational institutions
Students at VA Public Institutions
- About 86% of the students at public institutions are from Virginia
- At four-year institutions, it’s about 78%
- At the community colleges, it’s about 95%
- About 56% of students attend school full-time
- At the four-year institutions, it’s about 77%
- At the community colleges, it’s about 32%
- About 86% of the students are undergraduates
- At the four years, it’s about 75%
Virginia Degrees
About 54,000 degrees are awarded annually by Virginia’s public institutions.
- 12,400 Associate’s degrees
- 30,000 Bachelor’s degrees
- 11,000 Master’s degrees
- 1,400 Doctoral degrees
- 1,400 Professional degrees
Virginia Higher Education Budget
Over $3 billion is spent on higher education in Virginia each year.
- About $1.57 billion is provided through the state’s General Fund
- Approximately $2.0 billion is provided through tuition and fees collected by the institutions
- Close to $1.2 billion is provided through federal and private sources
Key Players in Virginia Higher Education
- Governor
- General Assembly
- Attorney General
- Secretary of Education
- Boards of Visitors
- State Council of Higher Education (SCHEV)
Governor's Role
- Appoints all members to institutions’ Boards of Visitors and the members of SCHEV
- Prepares and submits a biennial budget
- Signs or vetoes all legislation, including the budget bill
- Issues Executive Orders
General Assembly's Role
- Adopts a biennial budget
- Introduces, debates, and votes on legislation
- Establishes joint subcommittees and commissions to study issues
- Requests studies and reports
Attorney General's Role
- Serves as general counsel to the educational institutions and SCHEV
- Reviews all contracts
- Approves all real estate transactions
- Provides training on a host of legal issues (FOIA, conflict of interest, proper use of state equipment, etc.)
Secretary of Education
- Appointed by Governor and approved by the General Assembly
- Advises the Governor on education policy issues
- Oversees all education and cultural-related executive branch agencies, including the DoE, SCHEV, VCCS, public colleges and universities, state museums, and Library of Virginia
- Receives and reviews operating and capital budget requests from the institutions and agencies
Boards of Visitors
- Provide oversight and leadership at their respective institutions.
- Set broad policy goals and priorities for their institutions.
- Select a President to manage the day-to-day operations.
- Evaluate the President to ensure compliance with statutory mandates and board goals, priorities, and directives.
- Establish rules and regulations for the admission of students and graduation requirements.
- Establish rules and regulations for the conduct of students.
- Establish rules and regulations for the employment of professors, teachers, instructors, and all other employees and provide for their dismissal for failure to abide by such rules and regulations.
- Review and approve budget requests to the Governor and General Assembly for state appropriations.
- Ensure academic integrity at the institution, including, reviewing the curriculum and faculty productivity.
- Set tuition and fee charges
- Lease, sell, or convey any and all real estate with the approval of the Governor.
- Provide oversight of institutionally affiliated foundations.
- Ensure institution is accountable for the effective and efficient use of Virginia taxpayer dollars provided to it.