Lynchburg Reporter

College tuition fees fell 0.7% in Lynchburg city in the 2022-23 school year, according to the latest disclosure from the National Center for Education Statistics.

Data shows that students paid $21,656 on average to attend higher education courses at the time, less than the $149 charged for the previous school year.

Among the seven institutions in the county, the University of Lynchburg stood out with the highest tuition fees, reaching an average of $34,500. Randolph College followed with an average of $27,930 per year. Central Virginia Community College students were offered the lowest annual tuition fees at $4,853.

At the time, a total of $70.5 million in grants or scholarships were awarded to full-time undergraduates who started at the Lynchburg city universities in the 2022-23 school year. Additionally, federal student loans reached $24.1 million.

Currently there are seven higher education institutions in Lynchburg city, including Central Virginia Community College, Liberty University, and Centra College.

Undergraduate education costs have seen a significant increase over the past few decades. Data shows a 169% rise in the average total cost, including tuition, fees, room, and board, between 1980 and 2020.

According to a 2023 College Board report, in-state students at public universities paid an average of $11,260, while out-of-state students paid $29,150 in the 2023-24 academic year.

Meanwhile, student loan debt has steadily increased over the last 30 years, reaching $1.75 trillion in 2024, averaging a total of $28,950 per borrower. Federal loans make up 92% of the debt, with over half of students at both public and private four-year colleges graduating with student loans.

Available data sometimes exceeds 100% due to rounding and administrative calculations.

Institution	Number of Students Receiving Grants	Total Amount of Grants Received	Average Amount of Grant Per Student	Number of Students Receiving Loans	Total Amount of Loans Received	Average Amount of Loans Per Student
Central Virginia Community College	174	$1,024,792	$5,890	11	$35,698	$3,245
Virginia University of Lynchburg	62	$484,461	$7,814	57	$488,098	$8,563
Randolph College	147	$3,378,403	$22,982	119	$924,151	$7,766
Liberty University	4,570	$54,946,694	$12,023	2,402	$19,467,795	$8,105
University of Lynchburg	403	$10,466,554	$25,972	298	$2,880,639	$9,667
Sylvain Melloul International Hair Academy	36	$200,873	$5,580	39	$293,200	$7,518
Centra College	0	$0	$0	0	$0	$0