Higher education is a bit like the government. Nothing gets much better but the cost just keeps going up.

Nick Anderson writes at the Washington Post.

U-Va. tuition and fees to rise 4.3 percent for Virginians, more for those from out of state

The University of Virginia’s governing board approved a 4.3 percent increase in tuition and fees Wednesday for first-year in-state students, overwhelmingly supporting the price hike despite objections from critics who called it excessive.

The increase, to $12,998 a year beginning in the fall, was approved on a 12 to 3 vote of the Board of Visitors in a meeting held in Abingdon in Southwest Virginia, according to a university spokesman. The dissenters were board members Helen E. Dragas, Marvin W. Gilliam Jr. and Edward D. Miller.

Miller said last week that it is hard to justify the rate increase when the national inflation rate is about 1.5 percent. Although he was certain that the increase would pass, he said it was important for U-Va. and other universities to contain costs: “Higher education needs to get a grip on this,” he said.

Last year, the board approved a 3.8 percent increase in tuition and fees for Virginians. Debate has intensified over U-Va.’s pricing policy, with some members complaining that the increases are saddling students with more and more debt.