Issue Position: Increasing Access and Affordability to Higher Education

Issue Position

As the father of four sons, Kirk is committed to making college more affordable and accessible to all Virginians. In 2014, Kirk successfully carried legislation aimed at decreasing the cost of college by capping athletic fees charged to students at Virginia colleges and universities, the largest driver of college costs in Virginia according to JLARC. In 2017, Kirk carried legislation that revamped Virginia's 30+ year old financial aid program so that it rewards students for successfully progressing through a program and applies to more middle-income families. Kirk also carried legislation creating the Online Virginia Network. The Virginia Online Network will increase opportunities for non-traditional students and the more than one million Virginians who have started, but not completed their college degrees. Online Virginia Network is a consortium of online classes from various state universities with one-stop shopping for scheduling, registering, and taking online classes.

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