Concerned About Financial Aid? Student Advocacy Group Virginia21 Wants to Help

In the midst of economic spirals and controversy, the opportunity to obtain a college education is threatened for students throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Tuition rises every year and students are required to take out more and more money in loans to pay for the unearthly costs of attending an university. Thankfully, the advocacy group Virginia21 is on a mission to ensure student’s ability to fund higher education in Virginia.

Virginia21 is a non-partisan group that belives in the power of higher education and the impact it has on our
society. Virginia21 believes college is apart of a brighter future for the state and even the nation as a whole.

As an intern for the group, I work one on one with the Executive and Deputy Director along with other interns in an office overlooking the state capitol. We work together to convince state legislators to increase funding for students to attend Virginia’s various public universities.  By increasing state funding, Virginia21 hopes to avoid another debt crisis due to student loans.

The statistics are alarming. During the 2009-2010 academic year, public in-state students borrowed $657 million to go to college. In the last decade, the average state funding per student was cut in half. This academic year, the Commonwealth of Virginia is expected to fund only 48% of its stated financial aid goals. One even more alarming statistic: only 37% of borrowers who started repaying their student loans in 2005 were able to pay them back fully and on time.

If the economy is already in a slump one may wonder why higher education is a top priority. Keep in mind that the higher percentage
of college graduates a state has results in higher paying jobs and more tax revenue which will turn the economy around. Then you must ask yourself what type of society would you prefer to live in? An educated society where minds and workers progress together, or an uneducated society where the majority of citizens are unable to obtain the careers that maintain the internal makeup and image of our society. 

Currently Virginia21 has a petition circulating across Richmond and the state to encourage legislators to increase state funding for students to attend college. If you are interested in increasing state funding the petition is online at: