Tennessee tuition grant available at UVa-Wise July 1

Beginning July 1, residents of four Tennessee counties will be eligible for significantly reduced tuition at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise.

“The reason more students from Northeast Tennessee do not attend UVa-Wise boils down to simple mathematics,” said Russell Necessary, vice chancellor for enrollment management. “Out-of-state tuition rates can make the price of a UVa-Wise education seem out-of-reach for many students.”

But that’s all about to change. Thanks to the Tennessee Tuition Assistance Grant (TTAG) residents of the counties of Hancock, Hawkins, Sullivan and Washington will pay a significantly reduced tuition rate. The legislation creating TTAG, House Bill 82 and Senate Bill 283, was recently signed into law by Virginia Governor Mark Warner. Tennessee students in these counties – all within a 50-mile radius of the College – will pay $8,715 per year in tuition compared to the regular out-of-state rate of $14,252 per year as a freshman.

Under the TTAG program, the tuition rate continues to decline as students progress in their studies. For students transferring to UVa-Wise at the junior level, tuition will be $7,117 compared to the regular out-of-state rate of $14,252 per year.

"Serving students from Northeast Tennessee is very consistent with our mission of serving far Southwest Virginia,” Necessary said. “The only difference between us is the fact we’re separated by a state line.”

UVa-Wise instituted a similar program for nine Kentucky counties in 1996. As a result of that program, the number of Kentucky residents attending UVa-Wise more than doubled during its first year.

Necessary said interest from Northeast Tennessee students was already on the rise even before TTAG was approved. It has only continued to increase as the bill moved through the General Assembly and on to the governor’s desk.

Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, UVa-Wise is ranked among the nation’s top ten public liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and World Report. The only branch campus of the University of Virginia, UVa-Wise is home to 1,700 students and offers under graduate and professional programs in the liberal arts tradition of Thomas Jefferson.

For more information, contact the Office of Admissions at 276-328-0102.