Wednesday, November 18, 2009

32% Increase in UC Fees

(Link to the story embedded in title)
For those of you seniors who are planning on attending a U.C. next year, be prepared to pay more. Today, the UC Regents finance committee voted to recommend a 32 percent student fee increase, raising the annual price of a UC education to $10,302. This increase has been implemented to make up the $535 million dollar funding gap created by reduced state funding and inflation. As soon as next semester, students will see an incremental increase of 15% in their tuition. The decision by the regents was not welcomed warmly by students. Protests broke out in all the UC campuses, and at UCLA, where the meeting was held, UC riot police arrested 14 people. At UC Berkeley, 1,000 students and faculty members protested in Sproul Plaza. For students, many will struggle even more to pay for their tuition and some may have to drop out. While students with a family income less than $70,000 will have their tuition waived, the increase is still significant for everyone else. The regents acknowledged the effect on students from this fee increase and were reluctant to vote on it, but stated it was necessary to close the funding gap.

As a high school senior with one sibling in college and two siblings who are juniors in high school, I am seriously considering attending a U.C. as its tuition is low enough so that my parents can afford to pay for both my education and the education of my brothers. However, now even a U.C. might be out of reach financially. I feel like this increase could have been avoided if the government did a better job managing its education funds. California has one of the largest public university systems in the nation, and cutting funds from them impacts thousands of students. Instead of reducing the funds to the U.C., the state should have looked to other departments to save money as education is important for the future. California has one of the strongest public university systems, but with the budget cuts to the CSUs and now the U.C.s, things seem to be declining. Hopefully this increase isn't permanent and we will see tuition return to normal soon. What are your thoughts and opinions on this?

10 comments:

Esther A. said...

I don't really see the point of protesting fee increases; yeah, it's unfortunate and can hurt many people, but the UC system's butget is so low that something has to be done to bring in more money. Protests seem a little unnecessary. With the budget the way it is, I doubt that tuition is going to be reduced because of protests.
However, I agree with you that the state really shouldn't have cut so much from education.
-Esther A

gee im a tree said...

Well, I see why the UC system did this, and its unfortunate, but I guess it can't really be helped. What I'm most concerned about is how this is going to affect the diversity of students on campus. Is this increase in tuition so drastic that it will make the majority of incoming students just a bunch of rich kids?

-Yuzo Yanagitsuru

YueLiang said...

I say I'm still gonna try for the UC's, but will be looking to the state colleges a little bit more now. I'm the last of my family in school while my sister graduated from SJ State a few years ago. We will definitely be facing an uphill battle against finances, so I'm hoping that more scholarships will help quell the unfortunate rise in UC tuition. :[

-Annie Yang

Sarah Jacobs said...

I understand the need for the increase in tuition, but I don't feel like it will be a long term solution for the funding gap. They can't just keep raising tuition whenever they're low on money, it's just not fair to the students. I completely understand the protesters. The UC system is just not as affordable as it used to be. Furthermore, it is getting more and more difficult to graduate from a UC in 4 years. I am definitely still applying to the UCs, but I am leaning more and more towards other options.

Serena said...

This really sucks. I am really looking forward to attending one of the many UC's I am applying to. True, UC's will tend to raise their tuition fees when they are in desperate need of money, but they should also consider the students, who may not be able to pay that price. Seeing the condition of the UC's--not being able to graduate in 4 years and the tuition costs, I am starting to consider other options.

Lizzy said...

This is just what I needed to hear as I'm stressed out over college apps (sarcasm). As weird as it may sound, depending on many outside factors, it could now potentially be less expensive to attend a private university over a UC with all the scholarships private schools are willing to give, and the lack of money the UCs have.

Britney Tsao said...

For some CSU's, students that should be full time students aren't because of a lack of funding. I have a friend who won't be able to graduate when she should be because her classes get canceled. If paying a higher fee can avoid this, I am totally willing to pay it. Well.. I'm willing to ask my parents to pay it (:

But seriously. If paying more means teachers get to teach when they are schedules to and students get to graduate when they are scheduled to, it's worth it. However, if the money is being used toward something else (something stupid), then I understand why students are protesting.

Hen to the Ry said...

I think the UC are pretty warranted, given the recession. Without the increases in tuition, the number of faculty members, and quality of school equipment will surely decrease. This is another catch-22 situation, since it depends on whether people want a higher quality educational materials or a lower tuition.

-Henry Zhang

Colin Yan said...

I want to go to a UC and this is a bummer. I do not want to pay more! Everything is so expensive nowadays, and there is so many things taht i want to buy. HOwever, with this new increase, I will probably have to cut back on the things i usually buy and save up. Booooo

However, I think it can not be helped. The UCs might need this extra money to keep up with teh excellent education it gives to its students.

Lauren Nishizaki said...

"Preparing Our Children for the 21st Century Economy

America faces few more urgent challenges than preparing our children to compete in a global economy. The decisions our leaders make about education in the coming years will shape our future
for generations to come. The Administration is committed to meeting this challenge, and its
vision for a 21st Century education begins with demanding more reform and accountability coupled with the resources needed to carry out that reform; asking parents to take responsibility for
their children’s success; and recruiting, retaining, and rewarding an army of new teachers to teach at new, successful schools that prepare our children for success in college and the workforce. Throughout our history, our Nation’s schools from the local elementary school to the large university have been the gateway into the middle class
and a better life for millions. That is why it’s so important that the investments we make in education are ones that work—that help children learn and pursue their dreams. When it comes to our children’s future, we cannot waste dollars on methods, programs, and initiatives that are not effective and efficient. Consequently, in this Budget, the Administration makes significant investments in approaches that have proven to
deliver for our children and will reallocate funds away from and terminate programs that do not.
To restore the promise of America’s public education and to help America’s children again lead the world in achievement, creativity, and success, the
Budget will: ..."

I copied the above from Jumpstarting the Economy and Investing For the Future, a section of the Fiscal Year 2010 Budget of the United States. I was a bit disappointed to find that making the price of college accessible to all was not listed among the summary of changes/points to be made/stressed.