BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) _ Virginia Tech says increasing tuition and fees is necessary to offset budget cuts and state-mandated costs. The university’s Board of Visitors voted on Monday to increase undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees by 3.9 percent, or $468. Room and board fees will increase by 3.8 percent increase, or $302/. In-state graduate students will pay an additional $531 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state graduate tuition and fees will rise by $1,097. Virginia Tech says in a news release that the state has mandated several costs, including increases in faculty and staff retirement contributions. The university’s operating budget will lose about $6 million in state funding in both the 2015 and 2016 fiscal years. But the state is providing an additional $1.97 million in the 2015 fiscal year for enrollment growth.
