University of Vermont President Suresh Garimella today announced that he intends to continue helping students and families by proposing that tuition remain frozen at the same amount for a fourth consecutive year.

“Students graduating in UVM’s Class of 2023 will complete four years of study at the state’s flagship paying the same for tuition as they did when they started,” said Garimella. “We are intensely focused on reducing student debt so Catamounts can build their lives and careers without the burden of large loan payments.”

Garimella’s 2022-23 budget also proposes that the undergraduate student comprehensive fee remain frozen and that the graduate student comprehensive fee be reduced by $250. Room and board charges will remain flat for the third consecutive year under the plan. Room and board costs had been rising an average of 3.2% before Garimella froze them two years ago.

“At a time when families are still finding their way out of the economic stress of the pandemic, it is important that we further strengthen our commitment to student affordability and access,” said Garimella. “That is why I will recommend to the Board approval for a zero tuition increase next year for all students regardless of their degree level or residency status.”

The Board of Trustees, UVM’s governing body, reviews and ultimately approves the spending plan for each academic year. Board members have expressed consistent support for cost controls and greater efficiency on the campus.

Garimella first announced his intention to freeze tuition in November of 2019, during his first six months as president. In October of 2020, he announced a plan to keep tuition frozen for another year. If UVM’s Board of Trustees approves the plan he announced today, tuition will remain the same for four consecutive years, for in-state and out-of-state undergraduate and graduate students.

To further strengthen financial support for students, last fall Garimella announced a new fundraising campaign to raise more than $45 million to support undergraduate and graduate students with new scholarships, programs and services. A centerpiece of SOAR is the President’s new Common Ground scholarship. This scholarship will support underrepresented and underserved students, making it possible for them to attend UVM and focus on their education rather than whether they will have sufficient resources for basic needs.

Each year, UVM provides more than $160 million in scholarships and financial assistance, making it possible for over 90 percent of Vermont students to receive some scholarship or financial support, with close to half of them paying no tuition at all.