The Faculty Senate currently is looking for ways to increase funding that is available to graduate students.
As of now, the University is unable to offer the same stipends and tuition coverage for graduate students that other competitive universities offer.
"This problem is so complicated that it will take the better part of a year to understand," Faculty Senate Chairman Robert Grainger said.
The University, along with most other higher education institutions, pays the tuition of graduate students and offers them a stipend for living expenses.
Most schools, however, allow out of state graduate students to pay in-state tuition after their first year of graduate school.
The University does not offer in-state status to graduate students who applied with out-of-state residency but have lived in Virginia for their first year at the University. This causes the University to lag behind peer institutes in the availability of favorable tuition packages.
Though it may seem that offering in-state tuition to second-, third- and fourth-year graduate students would dramatically decrease the tuition bills departments would be paying for graduate students, this is not necessarily the case. University departments often foot the bill for a graduate student's tuition.
For instance, if a student receives a full out-of-state tuition scholarship from a national organization, the University would lose much of that money if the student were offered in-state tuition after one year. The University only would receive enough money to cover in-state tuition.
This is just one of many factors the Faculty Senate must address before changing the tuition policy for graduate students.
"It looks to me as though it would still be cheaper" to offer in-state tuition after the first year, Grainger said. "But you have to watch out for unexpected costs."
Grainger said the Faculty Senate is looking toward future fund-raising and alumni support as a potential source of money for graduate students.
"We have to find that money somewhere," he said. "And the state of Virginia is not in a position to fund it."
Grainger also said many alumni are more inclined to donate money to undergraduate programs at their alma maters.
If the University decided to offer in-state tuition to more graduate students, both the provost and the State Council of Higher Education of Virginia would have to approve the decision.
"It seems like things are taking place," said Todd Price, president of the Graduate Students of Arts and Sciences Council. "We're in an environment where many top schools that we compete with are making a push to increase [graduate student] funding."
Price also mentioned a desire to have a space for graduate students from the Arts and Sciences, Law and Darden school to gather and interact.
"It would be great to see [Darden and Law graduate students] more involved in the university community," Price said.
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