By Marty Gordon
NRVsports@mainstreetnewspapers.com
The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors has approved a 2.9 percent increase in tuition for resident and non-resident undergraduate students for the 2026-27 academic year.
During a two-day session last week, the board approved the increase along with several building plans for the Tech rescue squad, a new bookstore and additional dormitory space.
Tuition and mandatory fees for Virginia undergraduate students will increase $561 to $17,087 annually, and out-of-state undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees will increase $1,203, totaling $40,180 annually.
Annual room and board charges will increase by 6.7 percent, or $950 per year, to a total of $15,032.
The meeting was the first since Sands announced his retirement. He thanked current and past members for their partnership and commitment to the university during his tenure, noting that their dedication as volunteer trustees has been inspirational.
“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to help steward Virginia Tech over the past 12 years,” Sands said. “For now, I’m committed to supporting the university and the new president through the coming transition, but in the meantime, there is plenty of work to do.”
During the joint meeting of the Academic, Research, and Student Affairs and Finance and Resource Management committee, members discussed a resolution on the impact of the university’s Living-Learning Program on affordability that would have reallocated all returning living-learning community student beds to first-year and transfer students and initiated a review of the efficacy of living-learning communities.
Earlier Blacksburg Mayor Michael Sutphin raised concerns over the change, which would
eliminate the universities ‘Living-Learning Programs‘.
Sutphin said in a letter to the BOV, while framed around affordability and efficiency, the change could lead to a significant increase in freshman enrollment without a corresponding long-term housing strategy. The mayor warned that such growth would push more upperclassmen into Blacksburg’s private housing market in later years.
“Taken at face value, the resolution suggests the university may substantially increase its freshman class size. Any such increase would generate corresponding off-campus housing demand in later years as those students move into the community for their sophomore, junior, and senior years,” Sutphin said, adding that the shift could take away from previously approved enrollment plans, known as the Student Life Village framework. This framework had been intended to add substantial on-campus housing capacity.”
“First-year students may occupy newly available beds for only one year, but absent a commensurate expansion of upper-class housing, many of these students will enter Blacksburg’s limited private housing market for the remainder of their time at Virginia Tech. That pattern would place growing pressure not only on rental supply but also on transportation, utilities, and public safety services planned and financed by the Town rather than the university,” Sutphin said.
The resolution was postponed to allow the university to conduct a thorough review of the program; thus, the resolution did not advance to the full board.
The board did approve a resolution to authorize funding to complete the design and construction of a new flagship on-campus university bookstore to be located in Gilbert Place.
According to the university, the new location will offer patrons an enhanced visit and travel experience to both Virginia Tech’s campus and downtown Blacksburg. Once the new bookstore is completed, which is scheduled for next summer, the university will retire the current on-campus bookstore location on Kent Street.
Also, the Buildings and Grounds Committee approved the design preview and review of a proposed 1,200-bed residence hall project near Duck Pond Drive and advanced design previews for three additional projects.
The proposed residence hall project will neighbor other student-centric facilities including the Classroom Building, Hitt Hall, Data and Decision Sciences Building, Undergraduate Science Laboratory Building, and the Transit Center.
Designed in collegiate gothic consistent with Campus Design Principles and closely emulating the most recently completed residence hall, Upper Quad Hall North, the five-story structures will feature contemporary rooms and efficient building systems, intentional material choices supporting long-term stewardship, and universal design principles.
A design preview for a new Virginia Tech Rescue Squad facility was also approved by the committee.
The proposed facility, to be located off Oak Lane, will establish a permanent headquarters for the organization. It will provide appropriate operational, training, residential, and equipment space; strengthen the university’s emergency medical response capabilities; and support the continued growth of one of the nation’s oldest collegiate rescue squads.
Finally, a design preview for the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital renovation and expansion was also approved by the committee. The proposed project will modernize clinical, instructional, and support spaces; expand specialty services to help meet the rising demand for advanced veterinary care; and strengthen the educational foundation needed to prepare practice-ready veterinary graduates.
