{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/23.1-301.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/23.1-301.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/23.1-301.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/23.1-301.html"}],"law_id":55357,"edition_id":1,"section_id":55357,"structure_id":14172,"section_number":"23.1-301","catch_line":"Short title; objective; purposes","history":"2011, cc. 828, 869, \u00a7 23-38.87:10; 2016, c. 588; 2017, c. 314.","full_text":"A\n\nThis chapter may be cited as the “Preparing for the Top Jobs of the 21st Century: The Virginia Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011,” the “Top Jobs Act,” or “TJ21.”B\n\nThe objective of this chapter is to fuel strong economic growth in the Commonwealth and prepare Virginians for the top job opportunities in the knowledge-driven economy of the 21st century by establishing a long-term commitment, policy, and framework for sustained investment and innovation that will (i) enable the Commonwealth to build upon the strengths of its excellent higher education system and achieve national and international leadership in college degree attainment and personal income and (ii) ensure that these educational and economic opportunities are accessible and affordable for all capable and committed Virginia students.C\n\nIn furtherance of the objective set forth in subsection B, the following purposes shall inform the development and implementation of funding policies, performance criteria, economic opportunity metrics, and recommendations required by this chapter:1\n\nTo ensure an educated workforce in the Commonwealth through a public-private higher education system whose hallmarks are instructional excellence, affordable access, economic impact, institutional diversity and managerial autonomy, cost-efficient operation, technological and pedagogical innovation, and reform-based investment;2\n\nTo take optimal advantage of the demonstrated correlation between higher education and economic growth by investing in higher education in a manner that will generate economic growth, job creation, personal income growth, and revenues generated for state and local government in the Commonwealth;3\n\nTo (i) place the Commonwealth among the most highly educated states and countries by conferring approximately 100,000 cumulative additional undergraduate degrees on Virginians between 2011 and 2025, accompanied by a comparable percentage increase in privately conferred undergraduate degrees in the Commonwealth over the same period and (ii) achieve this purpose by expanding enrollment of Virginians at public institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education, improving undergraduate graduation and retention rates in the higher education system in the Commonwealth, and increasing degree completion by Virginians with partial credit toward a college degree, including students with ongoing job and family commitments who require access to nontraditional college-level educational opportunities;4\n\nTo enhance personal opportunity and earning power for individual Virginians by (i) increasing college degree attainment in the Commonwealth, especially in high-demand, high-income fields such as STEM and health care fields and (ii) providing information about the economic value and impact of individual degree programs by institution;5\n\nTo promote university-based research that produces outside investment in the Commonwealth, fuels economic advances, triggers commercialization of new products and processes, fosters the formation of new businesses, leads businesses to bring their facilities and jobs to the Commonwealth, and in other ways helps place the Commonwealth on the cutting edge of the knowledge-driven economy;6\n\nTo support the national effort to enhance the security and economic competitiveness of the United States and secure a leading economic position for the Commonwealth through increased research and instruction in STEM and related fields that require qualified faculty, appropriate research facilities and equipment, public-private and intergovernmental collaboration, and sustained state support;7\n\nTo preserve and enhance the excellence and cost-efficiency of the Commonwealth’s higher education system through reform-based investment that promotes innovative instructional models and pathways to degree attainment, including optimal use of physical facilities and instructional resources throughout the year, technology-enhanced instruction, sharing of instructional resources between colleges, universities, and other degree-granting entities in the Commonwealth, increased online learning opportunities for nontraditional students, improved rate and pace of degree completion, expanded availability of dual enrollment and advanced placement options and early college commitment programs, expanded comprehensive community college transfer options leading to bachelor’s degree completion, and enhanced college readiness before matriculation;8\n\nTo realize the potential for enhanced benefits from the Restructured Higher Education Financial and Administrative Operations Act (§ 23.1-1000 et seq.) through a sustained commitment to the principles of autonomy, accountability, affordable access, and mutual trust and obligation underlying the restructuring initiative;9\n\nTo establish a higher education funding framework and policy that promotes stable, predictable, equitable, and adequate funding, facilitates effective planning at the institutional and state levels, provides incentives for increased enrollment of Virginia students at public institutions of higher education and nonprofit private institutions of higher education, provides need-based financial aid for low-income and middle-income students and families, relieves the upward pressure on tuition associated with loss of state support due to economic downturns or other causes, and provides financial incentives to promote innovation and enhanced economic opportunity in furtherance of the objective of this chapter set forth in subsection A; and10\n\nTo recognize that the unique mission and contributions of each public institution of higher education and private institution of higher education is consistent with the desire to build upon the strengths of the Commonwealth’s excellent system of higher education, afford these unique missions and contributions appropriate safeguards, and allow these attributes to inform the development and implementation of funding policies, performance criteria, economic opportunity metrics, and recommendations in the furtherance of the objective of this chapter set forth in subsection B.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":202973,"text":"This chapter may be cited as the “Preparing for the Top Jobs of the 21st Century: The Virginia Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011,” the “Top Jobs Act,” or “TJ21.”","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":202974,"text":"The objective of this chapter is to fuel strong economic growth in the Commonwealth and prepare Virginians for the top job opportunities in the knowledge-driven economy of the 21st century by establishing a long-term commitment, policy, and framework for sustained investment and innovation that will (i) enable the Commonwealth to build upon the strengths of its excellent higher education system and achieve national and international leadership in college degree attainment and personal income and (ii) ensure that these educational and economic opportunities are accessible and affordable for all capable and committed Virginia students.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"C"},"2":{"id":202975,"text":"In furtherance of the objective set forth in subsection B, the following purposes shall inform the development and implementation of funding policies, performance criteria, economic opportunity metrics, and recommendations required by this chapter:","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B","next_prefix":"C1"},"3":{"id":202976,"text":"To ensure an educated workforce in the Commonwealth through a public-private higher education system whose hallmarks are instructional excellence, affordable access, economic impact, institutional diversity and managerial autonomy, cost-efficient operation, technological and pedagogical innovation, and reform-based investment;","type":"section","prefixes":["C","1"],"prefix":"1","entire_prefix":"C1","prefix_anchor":"C1","level":2,"prior_prefix":"C","next_prefix":"C2"},"4":{"id":202977,"text":"To take optimal advantage of the demonstrated correlation between higher education and economic growth by investing in higher education in a manner that will generate economic growth, job creation, personal income growth, and revenues generated for state and local government in the Commonwealth;","type":"section","prefixes":["C","2"],"prefix":"2","entire_prefix":"C2","prefix_anchor":"C2","level":2,"prior_prefix":"C1","next_prefix":"C3"},"5":{"id":202978,"text":"To (i) place the Commonwealth among the most highly educated states and countries by conferring approximately 100,000 cumulative additional undergraduate degrees on Virginians between 2011 and 2025, accompanied by a comparable percentage increase in privately conferred undergraduate degrees in the Commonwealth over the same period and (ii) achieve this purpose by expanding enrollment of Virginians at public institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education, improving undergraduate graduation and retention rates in the higher education system in the Commonwealth, and increasing degree completion by Virginians with partial credit toward a college degree, including students with ongoing job and family commitments who require access to nontraditional college-level educational opportunities;","type":"section","prefixes":["C","3"],"prefix":"3","entire_prefix":"C3","prefix_anchor":"C3","level":2,"prior_prefix":"C2","next_prefix":"C4"},"6":{"id":202979,"text":"To enhance personal opportunity and earning power for individual Virginians by (i) increasing college degree attainment in the Commonwealth, especially in high-demand, high-income fields such as STEM and health care fields and (ii) providing information about the economic value and impact of individual degree programs by institution;","type":"section","prefixes":["C","4"],"prefix":"4","entire_prefix":"C4","prefix_anchor":"C4","level":2,"prior_prefix":"C3","next_prefix":"C5"},"7":{"id":202980,"text":"To promote university-based research that produces outside investment in the Commonwealth, fuels economic advances, triggers commercialization of new products and processes, fosters the formation of new businesses, leads businesses to bring their facilities and jobs to the Commonwealth, and in other ways helps place the Commonwealth on the cutting edge of the knowledge-driven economy;","type":"section","prefixes":["C","5"],"prefix":"5","entire_prefix":"C5","prefix_anchor":"C5","level":2,"prior_prefix":"C4","next_prefix":"C6"},"8":{"id":202981,"text":"To support the national effort to enhance the security and economic competitiveness of the United States and secure a leading economic position for the Commonwealth through increased research and instruction in STEM and related fields that require qualified faculty, appropriate research facilities and equipment, public-private and intergovernmental collaboration, and sustained state support;","type":"section","prefixes":["C","6"],"prefix":"6","entire_prefix":"C6","prefix_anchor":"C6","level":2,"prior_prefix":"C5","next_prefix":"C7"},"9":{"id":202982,"text":"To preserve and enhance the excellence and cost-efficiency of the Commonwealth’s higher education system through reform-based investment that promotes innovative instructional models and pathways to degree attainment, including optimal use of physical facilities and instructional resources throughout the year, technology-enhanced instruction, sharing of instructional resources between colleges, universities, and other degree-granting entities in the Commonwealth, increased online learning opportunities for nontraditional students, improved rate and pace of degree completion, expanded availability of dual enrollment and advanced placement options and early college commitment programs, expanded comprehensive community college transfer options leading to bachelor’s degree completion, and enhanced college readiness before matriculation;","type":"section","prefixes":["C","7"],"prefix":"7","entire_prefix":"C7","prefix_anchor":"C7","level":2,"prior_prefix":"C6","next_prefix":"C8"},"10":{"id":202983,"text":"To realize the potential for enhanced benefits from the Restructured Higher Education Financial and Administrative Operations Act (§ 23.1-1000 et seq.) through a sustained commitment to the principles of autonomy, accountability, affordable access, and mutual trust and obligation underlying the restructuring initiative;","type":"section","prefixes":["C","8"],"prefix":"8","entire_prefix":"C8","prefix_anchor":"C8","level":2,"prior_prefix":"C7","next_prefix":"C9"},"11":{"id":202984,"text":"To establish a higher education funding framework and policy that promotes stable, predictable, equitable, and adequate funding, facilitates effective planning at the institutional and state levels, provides incentives for increased enrollment of Virginia students at public institutions of higher education and nonprofit private institutions of higher education, provides need-based financial aid for low-income and middle-income students and families, relieves the upward pressure on tuition associated with loss of state support due to economic downturns or other causes, and provides financial incentives to promote innovation and enhanced economic opportunity in furtherance of the objective of this chapter set forth in subsection A; and","type":"section","prefixes":["C","9"],"prefix":"9","entire_prefix":"C9","prefix_anchor":"C9","level":2,"prior_prefix":"C8","next_prefix":"C10"},"12":{"id":202985,"text":"To recognize that the unique mission and contributions of each public institution of higher education and private institution of higher education is consistent with the desire to build upon the strengths of the Commonwealth’s excellent system of higher education, afford these unique missions and contributions appropriate safeguards, and allow these attributes to inform the development and implementation of funding policies, performance criteria, economic opportunity metrics, and recommendations in the furtherance of the objective of this chapter set forth in subsection B.","type":"section","prefixes":["C","10"],"prefix":"10","entire_prefix":"C10","prefix_anchor":"C10","level":2,"prior_prefix":"C9"}},"ancestry":[{"id":14172,"edition_id":1,"name":"The Virginia Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011","identifier":"3","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13393,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:47:08","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:47:08","permalink":{"id":184801,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14172,"identifier":"3","token":"23.1\/I\/3","url":"\/23.1\/I\/3\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13393,"edition_id":1,"name":"General Provisions","identifier":"I","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13111,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:47","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:47","permalink":{"id":184583,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13393,"identifier":"I","token":"23.1\/I","url":"\/23.1\/I\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13111,"edition_id":1,"name":"Institutions of Higher Education; Other Educational and Cultural Institutions","identifier":"23.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:18","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:18","permalink":{"id":184581,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13111,"identifier":"23.1","token":"23.1","url":"\/23.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":55344,"structure_id":14172,"section_number":"23.1-300","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/23.1-300\/","token":"23.1\/I\/3\/23.1-300","metadata":false},{"id":55357,"structure_id":14172,"section_number":"23.1-301","catch_line":"Short title; objective; purposes","url":"\/23.1-301\/","token":"23.1\/I\/3\/23.1-301","metadata":false},{"id":57437,"structure_id":14172,"section_number":"23.1-302","catch_line":"Public institutions of higher education; funding","url":"\/23.1-302\/","token":"23.1\/I\/3\/23.1-302","metadata":false},{"id":77331,"structure_id":14172,"section_number":"23.1-303","catch_line":"Calculation of state general fund share of an institution's basic operations and instruction funding need; cost of education","url":"\/23.1-303\/","token":"23.1\/I\/3\/23.1-303","metadata":false},{"id":55707,"structure_id":14172,"section_number":"23.1-304","catch_line":"Per student enrollment-based funding at public institutions of higher education","url":"\/23.1-304\/","token":"23.1\/I\/3\/23.1-304","metadata":false},{"id":64815,"structure_id":14172,"section_number":"23.1-305","catch_line":"Public institutions of higher education; targeted economic and innovation incentives","url":"\/23.1-305\/","token":"23.1\/I\/3\/23.1-305","metadata":false},{"id":68012,"structure_id":14172,"section_number":"23.1-306","catch_line":"Public institutions of higher education; six-year plans; institutional partnership performance agreements","url":"\/23.1-306\/","token":"23.1\/I\/3\/23.1-306","metadata":false},{"id":73297,"structure_id":14172,"section_number":"23.1-307","catch_line":"Public institutions of higher education; tuition and fees","url":"\/23.1-307\/","token":"23.1\/I\/3\/23.1-307","metadata":false},{"id":59471,"structure_id":14172,"section_number":"23.1-308","catch_line":"STEM public-private partnership established; duties","url":"\/23.1-308\/","token":"23.1\/I\/3\/23.1-308","metadata":false},{"id":70221,"structure_id":14172,"section_number":"23.1-309","catch_line":"Higher Education Advisory Committee established; duties","url":"\/23.1-309\/","token":"23.1\/I\/3\/23.1-309","metadata":false},{"id":70567,"structure_id":14172,"section_number":"23.1-310","catch_line":"Assessment and certification of institutions by the Council","url":"\/23.1-310\/","token":"23.1\/I\/3\/23.1-310","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":55344,"structure_id":14172,"section_number":"23.1-300","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/23.1-300\/","token":"23.1\/I\/3\/23.1-300","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":57437,"structure_id":14172,"section_number":"23.1-302","catch_line":"Public institutions of higher education; funding","url":"\/23.1-302\/","token":"23.1\/I\/3\/23.1-302","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/23.1-301\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2011. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapters 828<\/a> and 869<\/a> of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. It has been modified 2 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 2016, chapter 588<\/a>; in 2017, chapter 314<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":55542,"section_number":"23.1-200","catch_line":"(Effective July 1, 2026) State Council of Higher Education for Virginia established; purpose; membership; terms; officers","order_by":null,"url":"\/23.1-200\/"},{"id":68012,"section_number":"23.1-306","catch_line":"Public institutions of higher education; six-year plans; institutional partnership performance agreements","order_by":null,"url":"\/23.1-306\/"},{"id":70221,"section_number":"23.1-309","catch_line":"Higher Education Advisory Committee established; duties","order_by":null,"url":"\/23.1-309\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":84746,"section_number":"23.1-1000","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/23.1-1000\/"}],"permalink":{"id":184807,"object_type":"law","relational_id":55357,"identifier":"23.1-301","token":"23.1\/I\/3\/23.1-301","url":"\/23.1-301\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/23.1-301\/","token":"23.1\/I\/3\/23.1-301","dublin_core":{"Title":"Short title; objective; purposes","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 23.1-301","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> This chapter may be cited as the “Preparing for the Top Jobs of the 21st Century: The Virginia Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011,” the “Top Jobs Act,” or “TJ21.” <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> The objective of this chapter is to fuel strong economic growth in the Commonwealth and prepare Virginians for the top job opportunities in the knowledge-driven economy of the 21st century by establishing a long-term commitment, policy, and framework for sustained investment and innovation that will (i) enable the Commonwealth to build upon the strengths of its excellent higher education system<\/span> and achieve national and international leadership in college degree<\/span> attainment and personal income and (ii) ensure that these educational and economic opportunities are accessible and affordable for all capable and committed Virginia students<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> In furtherance of the objective set forth in subsection B, the following purposes shall inform the development and implementation of funding policies, performance criteria, economic opportunity metrics, and recommendations required by this chapter: <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

1.<\/span> To ensure an educated workforce in the Commonwealth through a public-private higher education system<\/span> whose hallmarks are instructional excellence, affordable access, economic impact, institutional diversity and managerial autonomy, cost-efficient operation, technological and pedagogical innovation, and reform-based investment; <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

2.<\/span> To take optimal advantage of the demonstrated correlation between higher education and economic growth by investing in higher education in a manner that will generate economic growth, job creation, personal income growth, and revenues generated for state and local government in the Commonwealth; <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

3.<\/span> To (i) place the Commonwealth among the most highly educated states and countries by conferring approximately 100,000 cumulative additional undergraduate degrees on Virginians between 2011 and 2025, accompanied by a comparable percentage increase in privately conferred undergraduate degrees in the Commonwealth over the same period and (ii) achieve this purpose by expanding enrollment<\/span> of Virginians at public institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education, improving undergraduate graduation and retention rates in the higher education system<\/span> in the Commonwealth, and increasing degree completion by Virginians with partial credit toward a college degree<\/span>, including students with ongoing job and family commitments who require access to nontraditional college-level educational opportunities; <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

4.<\/span> To enhance personal opportunity and earning power for individual Virginians by (i) increasing college degree<\/span> attainment in the Commonwealth, especially in high-demand, high-income fields such as STEM<\/span> and health care fields and (ii) providing information about the economic value and impact of individual degree programs by institution; <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

5.<\/span> To promote university-based research that produces outside investment in the Commonwealth, fuels economic advances, triggers commercialization of new products and processes, fosters the formation of new businesses, leads businesses to bring their facilities and jobs to the Commonwealth, and in other ways helps place the Commonwealth on the cutting edge of the knowledge-driven economy; <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

6.<\/span> To support the national effort to enhance the security and economic competitiveness of the United States and secure a leading economic position for the Commonwealth through increased research and instruction in STEM<\/span> and related fields that require qualified faculty, appropriate research facilities and equipment, public-private and intergovernmental collaboration, and sustained state support; <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

7.<\/span> To preserve and enhance the excellence and cost-efficiency of the Commonwealth’s higher education system<\/span> through reform-based investment that promotes innovative instructional models and pathways to degree attainment, including optimal use of physical facilities and instructional resources throughout the year, technology-enhanced instruction, sharing of instructional resources between colleges, universities, and other degree-granting entities in the Commonwealth, increased online learning opportunities for nontraditional students, improved rate and pace of degree completion, expanded availability of dual enrollment<\/span> and advanced placement options and early college commitment programs, expanded comprehensive community college<\/span> transfer options leading to bachelor’s degree completion, and enhanced college readiness before matriculation; <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

8.<\/span> To realize the potential for enhanced benefits from the Restructured Higher Education Financial and Administrative Operations Act (§ 23.1-1000<\/a> et seq.) through a sustained commitment to the principles of autonomy, accountability, affordable access, and mutual trust and obligation underlying the restructuring initiative; <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

9.<\/span> To establish a higher education funding framework and policy that promotes stable, predictable, equitable<\/span>, and adequate funding, facilitates effective planning at the institutional and state levels, provides incentives for increased enrollment of Virginia students<\/span> at public institutions of higher education and nonprofit private institutions of higher education, provides need-based financial aid for low-income and middle-income students and families, relieves the upward pressure on tuition associated with loss of state support due to economic downturns or other causes, and provides financial incentives to promote innovation and enhanced economic opportunity in furtherance of the objective of this chapter set forth in subsection A; and <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

10.<\/span> To recognize that the unique mission and contributions of each public institution of higher education<\/span> and private institution of higher education<\/span> is consistent with the desire to build upon the strengths of the Commonwealth’s excellent system<\/span> of higher education, afford these unique missions and contributions appropriate safeguards, and allow these attributes to inform the development and implementation of funding policies, performance criteria, economic opportunity metrics, and recommendations in the furtherance of the objective of this chapter set forth in subsection B. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nSHORT TITLE; OBJECTIVE; PURPOSES (\u00a7 23.1-301)\n\nA. This chapter may be cited as the “Preparing for the Top Jobs of the\n21st Century: The Virginia Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011,” the\n“Top Jobs Act,” or “TJ21.”\n\nB. The objective of this chapter is to fuel strong economic growth in the\nCommonwealth and prepare Virginians for the top job opportunities in the\nknowledge-driven economy of the 21st century by establishing a long-term\ncommitment, policy, and framework for sustained investment and innovation that\nwill (i) enable the Commonwealth to build upon the strengths of its excellent\nhigher education system and achieve national and international leadership in\ncollege degree attainment and personal income and (ii) ensure that these\neducational and economic opportunities are accessible and affordable for all\ncapable and committed Virginia students.\n\nC. In furtherance of the objective set forth in subsection B, the following\npurposes shall inform the development and implementation of funding policies,\nperformance criteria, economic opportunity metrics, and recommendations required\nby this chapter:\n\n 1. To ensure an educated workforce in the Commonwealth through a\n public-private higher education system whose hallmarks are instructional\n excellence, affordable access, economic impact, institutional diversity and\n managerial autonomy, cost-efficient operation, technological and pedagogical\n innovation, and reform-based investment;\n\n 2. To take optimal advantage of the demonstrated correlation between higher\n education and economic growth by investing in higher education in a manner\n that will generate economic growth, job creation, personal income growth, and\n revenues generated for state and local government in the Commonwealth;\n\n 3. To (i) place the Commonwealth among the most highly educated states and\n countries by conferring approximately 100,000 cumulative additional\n undergraduate degrees on Virginians between 2011 and 2025, accompanied by a\n comparable percentage increase in privately conferred undergraduate degrees in\n the Commonwealth over the same period and (ii) achieve this purpose by\n expanding enrollment of Virginians at public institutions of higher education\n and private institutions of higher education, improving undergraduate\n graduation and retention rates in the higher education system in the\n Commonwealth, and increasing degree completion by Virginians with partial\n credit toward a college degree, including students with ongoing job and family\n commitments who require access to nontraditional college-level educational\n opportunities;\n\n 4. To enhance personal opportunity and earning power for individual Virginians\n by (i) increasing college degree attainment in the Commonwealth, especially in\n high-demand, high-income fields such as STEM and health care fields and (ii)\n providing information about the economic value and impact of individual degree\n programs by institution;\n\n 5. To promote university-based research that produces outside investment in\n the Commonwealth, fuels economic advances, triggers commercialization of new\n products and processes, fosters the formation of new businesses, leads\n businesses to bring their facilities and jobs to the Commonwealth, and in\n other ways helps place the Commonwealth on the cutting edge of the\n knowledge-driven economy;\n\n 6. To support the national effort to enhance the security and economic\n competitiveness of the United States and secure a leading economic position\n for the Commonwealth through increased research and instruction in STEM and\n related fields that require qualified faculty, appropriate research facilities\n and equipment, public-private and intergovernmental collaboration, and\n sustained state support;\n\n 7. To preserve and enhance the excellence and cost-efficiency of the\n Commonwealth’s higher education system through reform-based investment\n that promotes innovative instructional models and pathways to degree\n attainment, including optimal use of physical facilities and instructional\n resources throughout the year, technology-enhanced instruction, sharing of\n instructional resources between colleges, universities, and other\n degree-granting entities in the Commonwealth, increased online learning\n opportunities for nontraditional students, improved rate and pace of degree\n completion, expanded availability of dual enrollment and advanced placement\n options and early college commitment programs, expanded comprehensive\n community college transfer options leading to bachelor’s degree\n completion, and enhanced college readiness before matriculation;\n\n 8. To realize the potential for enhanced benefits from the Restructured Higher\n Education Financial and Administrative Operations Act (§ 23.1-1000 et\n seq.) through a sustained commitment to the principles of autonomy,\n accountability, affordable access, and mutual trust and obligation underlying\n the restructuring initiative;\n\n 9. To establish a higher education funding framework and policy that promotes\n stable, predictable, equitable, and adequate funding, facilitates effective\n planning at the institutional and state levels, provides incentives for\n increased enrollment of Virginia students at public institutions of higher\n education and nonprofit private institutions of higher education, provides\n need-based financial aid for low-income and middle-income students and\n families, relieves the upward pressure on tuition associated with loss of\n state support due to economic downturns or other causes, and provides\n financial incentives to promote innovation and enhanced economic opportunity\n in furtherance of the objective of this chapter set forth in subsection A; and\n\n 10. To recognize that the unique mission and contributions of each public\n institution of higher education and private institution of higher education is\n consistent with the desire to build upon the strengths of the\n Commonwealth’s excellent system of higher education, afford these unique\n missions and contributions appropriate safeguards, and allow these attributes\n to inform the development and implementation of funding policies, performance\n criteria, economic opportunity metrics, and recommendations in the furtherance\n of the objective of this chapter set forth in subsection B.\n\nHISTORY: 2011, cc. 828, 869, \u00a7 23-38.87:10; 2016, c. 588; 2017, c. 314.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}