As one of the premier university systems TCHS students apply to, the fate of the University of California’s tuition is a diploma-or-death situation.
Current seniors may experience a price hike during their first year at the system, with a possible 5% tuition increase over the next five years if state funding does not rise above Jerry Brown’s promised 4% increases.
The reasons for this tuition hike are varied: rising pension costs, increased student-faculty ratio and inflation all factor into the problem.
But public outcry against the proposed raises is for good reason. The cost of a UC tuition for California residents has doubled from $5,406 to $12,192 since 2005. At the end of the hypothetical five year, 5% increase, tuition for residents could reach as much as $15,560.
Although UC President Napolitano has stated that half of all California residents attending UC’s currently pay no tuition and that number would stay constant, many UC hopefuls are worried that they might fall into the cracks between state grants and rising tuition costs.
Thankfully, most TC students looking to attend the UC system qualify for a substantial amount of financial aid. A tuition hike would mostly be leveled out by increased state grants for these students.
But if the state is paying to put students and families through financial aid hoops, surely California’s money is better spent directly funding UC? Families who have to deal with financial aid paperwork would rather opt out, especially if the state could just directly lower their tuition.
Though the move by President Napolitano is likely a bargaining tactic to get more funding from the state, a tuition hike is still very probable, threat or no.
The state of California doesn’t have a choice. It needs to fund its college system. Governor Brown’s dream of a private college working the free market with academic cuts is more like a nightmare for students who just want a quality, traditional four year education.
Speaker Toni Atkins of The California State Assembly offered a fantastic proposal that would grant an additional $50 million in state funding, increase Cal Grant financial aid for low-income households, alter the Middle Class Scholarship program to cut fees for families by more than 20% for the 2015-2016 school year and cap out-of-state student admission while increasing resident admission.
The counterpart plan floated by Senate leader Kevin de León is also a valuable step in state funding, but a step back for middle class students. While opening up 5,000 student slots for UC and 10,500 for the California State University system, it would cut a middle class scholarship program that gave an average of $900 to 70,000 applicable students.
Both plans would charge out-of-state students an even higher premium to attend, which is a vital move for California’s strained budget. Although in-state students would remain a priority, out-of-state students could act as cash cows who fund the system.