Sky-High GPAs at Virginia State Schools? Time to Ground Expectations and Open Doors

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In order to increase capacity, they have to also increase faculty. They would have to increase dorms and also the surrounding town would need more apartments, grocery stores, and other businesses suited for college students (I think the local residents are already not pleased with the growth that has already happened. They'd need to increase the food services on campus. So many things would need to be increased and it's not just as simple as "just admit more students."

Exactly, this is why UVA can't grow further (although it does buy real estate when it can), same as other land-locked older schools like Harvard and Yale. That is why the legislature is pumping money into GMU, JMU, etc. etc. and not UVA. UVA is almost entirely self-funded now.

Harvard is 183 years older than UVA and is in a much more developed area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In order to increase capacity, they have to also increase faculty. They would have to increase dorms and also the surrounding town would need more apartments, grocery stores, and other businesses suited for college students (I think the local residents are already not pleased with the growth that has already happened. They'd need to increase the food services on campus. So many things would need to be increased and it's not just as simple as "just admit more students."

Exactly, this is why UVA can't grow further (although it does buy real estate when it can), same as other land-locked older schools like Harvard and Yale. That is why the legislature is pumping money into GMU, JMU, etc. etc. and not UVA. UVA is almost entirely self-funded now.

Harvard is 183 years

older than UVA and is in a much more developed area.

Disagree and I've taught at both. UVA was founded in 1819, in the horse and buggy era, which is why that train trestle rumbles through at the SE portion of campus and cannot be improved to reduce truck accidents. The University is landlocked. UVA does buy bits and pieces of real estate when it can, but it's small holdings like this one around the city. https://infocville.com/2023/10/18/uva-purchases-oak-lawn-property-for-undisclosed-sum/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In order to increase capacity, they have to also increase faculty. They would have to increase dorms and also the surrounding town would need more apartments, grocery stores, and other businesses suited for college students (I think the local residents are already not pleased with the growth that has already happened. They'd need to increase the food services on campus. So many things would need to be increased and it's not just as simple as "just admit more students."

Exactly, this is why UVA can't grow further (although it does buy real estate when it can), same as other land-locked older schools like Harvard and Yale. That is why the legislature is pumping money into GMU, JMU, etc. etc. and not UVA. UVA is almost entirely self-funded now.

Look at the state budget. UVA gets higher general fund appropriations per in state student than GMU or JMU. What you said is a common misconception.

False, UVA receives less than 6 percent of its budget from the state:

As of 2013, UVA's $1.4 billion academic budget is paid for primarily by tuition and fees (32%), research grants (23%), endowment and gifts (19%), and sales and services (12%).[107] The university receives 10% of its academic funds through state appropriation from the Commonwealth of Virginia.[107] For the overall (including non-academic) university budget of $2.6 billion, 45% comes from medical patient revenue.[107] The Commonwealth contributes less than 6%.[107]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So is UVA mandated to be 2/3 Virginian by law or are they free to decide? It's not clear. Other top publics like UCLA and UMich have way fewer in-state.

There is a decades-old agreement with the Commonwealth that VT, UVa, and W&M will have 2/3rds in-state for their undergraduate students. The precise number is driven by matriculations, not admissions offers, so there are slight variations each year for each of the 3 colleges. To my knowledge, this has been true for more than 40 years and it could well be more than 50 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In order to increase capacity, they have to also increase faculty. They would have to increase dorms and also the surrounding town would need more apartments, grocery stores, and other businesses suited for college students (I think the local residents are already not pleased with the growth that has already happened. They'd need to increase the food services on campus. So many things would need to be increased and it's not just as simple as "just admit more students."

Exactly, this is why UVA can't grow further (although it does buy real estate when it can), same as other land-locked older schools like Harvard and Yale. That is why the legislature is pumping money into GMU, JMU, etc. etc. and not UVA. UVA is almost entirely self-funded now.

Harvard is 183 years older than UVA and is in a much more developed area.

I find it funny that the PP even used Harvard and Yale in the same sentence as UVA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In order to increase capacity, they have to also increase faculty. They would have to increase dorms and also the surrounding town would need more apartments, grocery stores, and other businesses suited for college students (I think the local residents are already not pleased with the growth that has already happened. They'd need to increase the food services on campus. So many things would need to be increased and it's not just as simple as "just admit more students."

Exactly, this is why UVA can't grow further (although it does buy real estate when it can), same as other land-locked older schools like Harvard and Yale. That is why the legislature is pumping money into GMU, JMU, etc. etc. and not UVA. UVA is almost entirely self-funded now.

Look at the state budget. UVA gets higher general fund appropriations per in state student than GMU or JMU. What you said is a common misconception.

False, UVA receives less than 6 percent of its budget from the state:

As of 2013, UVA's $1.4 billion academic budget is paid for primarily by tuition and fees (32%), research grants (23%), endowment and gifts (19%), and sales and services (12%).[107] The university receives 10% of its academic funds through state appropriation from the Commonwealth of Virginia.[107] For the overall (including non-academic) university budget of $2.6 billion, 45% comes from medical patient revenue.[107] The Commonwealth contributes less than 6%.[107]

It isn't false. UVA gets significantly more state general fund appropriations per Full Time equivalent in state student than GMU or JMU. What you cited had nothing to do with that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, in other words, you want your kid to do less work than the kids who are actually accepted? I really can’t roll my eyes hard enough.

THIS

[Anonymous]

Be careful what you wish for.

UVa would happily give up all Commonwealth funding if it could get free from State laws and regulations on procurement, salaries, and what not. I was told by a UVa official that they already did that deal with the Commonwealth for the Darden school and Law school.

But, if they had that freedom, they likely also would be free from the 2/3rds in-state agreement.

[Anonymous]

With honors, APs and unchecked grade inflation anything under a 4.0 is just no longer competitive. Look at places like FCPS where a third to half the class graduates with over a 4.0.

UVA, VT and W&M are going to take top 3-5% of class that apply. Still plenty of VA state sponsored schools to pick up the rest. Look at schools common data sets, see where your kids matches up or go out of state and look for merit.

If kid is good in math they can figure this out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Be careful what you wish for.

UVa would happily give up all Commonwealth funding if it could get free from State laws and regulations on procurement, salaries, and what not. I was told by a UVa official that they already did that deal with the Commonwealth for the Darden school and Law school.

But, if they had that freedom, they likely also would be free from the 2/3rds in-state agreement.

There is zero percent chance the Commonwealth would give up all of its UVA property that’s worth billions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 4.3 NOVA kid was waitlisted at JMU as were several at the high school. Much lower out of state required though. Many of those same students were admitted to Tech. Weird year.

Jmu has an 85 percent acceptance rate. Your child must not have applied early action and had some issue with their application.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With honors, APs and unchecked grade inflation anything under a 4.0 is just no longer competitive. Look at places like FCPS where a third to half the class graduates with over a 4.0.

UVA, VT and W&M are going to take top 3-5% of class that apply. Still plenty of VA state sponsored schools to pick up the rest. Look at schools common data sets, see where your kids matches up or go out of state and look for merit.

If kid is good in math they can figure this out.

Those three schools accepted plenty of students from well outside the top 5% of the class at our FCPS high school, especially VT.

[Anonymous]

Unpopular, but true fact: in recent years, UVA, WM and VT, among other colleges, have become more accessible for any kid who did a decent job in college prep HS classes, wants it badly enough and is willing to put in some work before they attend. They just might have to spend some time in a “lesser” institution.

For the last 3-4 years, WM has offered its entire WL spring start (fall overseas or at a CC). UVA offers their WL the option to do a year at Wise, then 3 at UVA. Other state schools have similar schemes. And all of the state schools have a start at a community college, get a very reasonable GPA and then guaranteed transfer.

If your kid is even remotely competitive for these schools, there is a path to a UVA, WM, VT diploma for them— clean slate, HS grades, ECs, and tests doesn’t factor in. They do the work for 1-2 years and get the same diploma as kids who entered as freshman. That is great accessibility. Unless you think your 4.1W HS GPA kid is above a community college to UVA/ WM path or you are embarrassed to have a kid on that path.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In order to increase capacity, they have to also increase faculty. They would have to increase dorms and also the surrounding town would need more apartments, grocery stores, and other businesses suited for college students (I think the local residents are already not pleased with the growth that has already happened. They'd need to increase the food services on campus. So many things would need to be increased and it's not just as simple as "just admit more students."

Exactly, this is why UVA can't grow further (although it does buy real estate when it can), same as other land-locked older schools like Harvard and Yale. That is why the legislature is pumping money into GMU, JMU, etc. etc. and not UVA. UVA is almost entirely self-funded now.

Harvard is 183 years

older than UVA and is in a much more developed area.

Disagree and I've taught at both. UVA was founded in 1819, in the horse and buggy era, which is why that train trestle rumbles through at the SE portion of campus and cannot be improved to reduce truck accidents. The University is landlocked. UVA does buy bits and pieces of real estate when it can, but it's small holdings like this one around the city. https://infocville.com/2023/10/18/uva-purchases-oak-lawn-property-for-undisclosed-sum/

You can't "disagree" with the facts you responded to. Harvard is 183 years older than UVA (the difference between 1819 and 1636) and Cambridge, MA is much more dense (4X population per square mile) then Charlottesville, VA. There is no doubt that UVA could grow larger (and eventually will) by increasing density (infill and taller buildings).

But I am actually not advocating UVA grow significantly now, unlike others on the board. It make NO sense at present for the state given the projected declines in college applicants. UVA growing would impact other schools in the state, with the most marginal being impacted the most.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Be careful what you wish for.

UVa would happily give up all Commonwealth funding if it could get free from State laws and regulations on procurement, salaries, and what not. I was told by a UVa official that they already did that deal with the Commonwealth for the Darden school and Law school.

But, if they had that freedom, they likely also would be free from the 2/3rds in-state agreement.

UVA (and W&M and VT and other schools to varying degrees) already have significant autonomy from state oversight. It dates all the way back to 2005.

https://www.schev.edu/institutions/planning-performance/restructuring-act