Vermont Board of Delegates
Senator Christopher Bray
Vermont General Assembly
Joyce M. Judy
President, Community College of Vermont
Kevin Quigley
President, Marlboro College
Karen Scolforo
President, Castleton University
Jeb Spaulding
Chancellor, Vermont State Colleges
Thomas Sullivan
President, University of Vermont
Michael Wool
Langrock, Sperry & Wool, LLP
Vermont Legislative Advisory Committee Members
Senator Christopher Bray*
Chair: Natural Resources and Energy
Member: Education; Energy; Administrative Rules (LCAR); Canvassing
Representative Johannah Leddy Donovan
Member: Ways and Means
Representative Peter Conlon
Member: Education (clerk)
Representative Kathleen James
Member: Education; Canvassing
*NEBHE Board Member
Higher Education Fast Facts
• Read the 2017-18 Published Tuition and Fees at Colleges and Universities in Vermont. In academic year 2017-18, the average combined in-state cost of tuition and fees in Vermont were $7,260 at the public two-year college and $13,572 at public four-year colleges. These prices mark an increase of 3% and 4%, respectively, over 2016-17.
• The share of income needed to pay the average tuition and fee prices (both before and after the maximum Pell Grant award) has increased since 2011-12 in all income quintiles (Figures 1 and 2).
• Vermont ranks 26th in the nation among states in which college students graduate with the most debt. The average debt amount for students graduating from four-year public and private institutions in Vermont in 2016 was $28,662, and 63% of students graduated with loans. For comparison, the national average debt amount in 2016 was $28,699, and the proportion of students graduating with debt across the U.S. was 59%.
• In 2016-17, 7,474 first-time degree-/certificate-seeking undergraduates were enrolled in a Vermont postsecondary institution, marking an decrease of 7.3% since 2009-10.
• Vermont’s postsecondary attainment goal is for 60% of the adult population to earn an associate or bachelor’s degree by 2020. (Legislature Act No. 133, Sec. 5, 2010 Session) According to A Stronger Nation, a report by the Lumina Foundation, Vermont’s current total attainment rate is 47.7% and is the highest in the nation.
Program Participation and NEBHE’s Added Value
NEBHE’s Regional Student Program (RSP) Tuition Break provides Massachusetts residents with access to specialized undergraduate and graduate degree programs at public campuses in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island — all at a substantial tuition discount.
• In FY 2018, 497 Vermont residents participated in RSP Tuition Break and saved a total of $2,704,696 on tuition costs. The average program participant saved $7,095.
• In FY 2018, RSP provided $9,697,394 in tuition revenue and $708,202 in fee revenue to participating Vermont postsecondary institutions.
The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) is a voluntary, nationwide agreement among its member states and U.S. territories that establishes comparable national standards for interstate offering of postsecondary distance-education courses and programs. It is intended to increases the accessibility of distance education courses to students across state lines. Institutions that choose to participate agree to operate under common standards and procedures, providing a more uniform and less costly regulatory environment for institutions, more focused oversight responsibilities for states, and better resolution of student complaints. Vermont is a NEBHE state that serves as a member of SARA in this reciprocal relationship. For more information about Vermont’s participation and a list of approved institutions, click here.
