CSU, UC Considering Tuition Hikes For 2017-18 Academic Year
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The freeze on tuition hikes at California State University and University of California ends soon and students can expect to pay more when it does.
CSU discussed raising fees last week at a meeting of its governing board and UC has proposed increases as early as the 2017-18 academic year, according to the Sacramento Bee.
The tuition freeze after a budget deal struck five years ago with Gov. Jerry Brown will have expired by then.
Currently, tuition for CSU undergraduate students is $5,472, and $12,294 at UC. According to the Bee, tuition and fees have more than tripled since 2000, even with the freeze, at "a faster rate than at many comparable institutions, though California tuition remains lower than at most of those same schools."
"It was critical to UC that we reach an understanding with the governor about the need for moderate and predictable tuition increases for the university's financial sustainability in the long run," said UC's Board of Regents spokesman Steve Montiel in a statement.
UC President Janet Napolitano told the university's Council of Presidents that an increase is needed due to "insufficient state support," according to the Los Angeles Times. University officials are considering a 2.5% tuition hike for California resident students, which would be about $280. The increase for out-of-state students could be as much as 5%.
Napolitano says she will not make a recommendation on tuition until January.
"A tuition increase is something none of us want to do," said CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White in an interview with the L.A. Times. "Sometimes you have to end up making decisions that may not be popular at the moment, but serve a much bigger public good."
White is proposing an increase of $270 for CSU tuition.
"Having the resources, one way or another, is going to be essential for us to make good steps on admitting more students and getting them to a degree sooner," he said.
