CHARLOTTESVILLE (WINA) – A new report done by the Virginia Business Higher Education Council shows Virginia’s public colleges and universities account for nearly $4-billion in state revenue. UVa economics professor Ed Burton speaks often on Morning News UVa’s stabilizing value on our own area economy, as the economic impact is repeated in college communities all over the Commonwealth. The study done for the Council by UVa’s Weldon Cooper Center shows public higher education has a total economic “footprint” of $52.4 billion in state gross domestic product, or GDP, and supports more than 188,000 jobs. Each dollar spent on public higher education results in an additional $1.89 of state revenue and $25.59 in additional state GDP.

As part of the overall impact, medical centers at UVA and Virginia Commonwealth University account for a combined 45,000-plus jobs, $4.6 billion in state GDP, and $356 million in annual state revenue. UVa President Jim Ryan says “this report shows that, like other public colleges and universities across Virginia, UVA is a key driver of economic vitality.

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