First year college students entering the University of California system could see their tuition rise by 5 percent in the next five years.
On Nov. 20, the UC Board of Regents approved UC President Janet Napolitano’s plan to raise tuition, sparking disagreement from state lawmakers and students. The plan passed 14-7 by a committee vote that Student Regent Sadia Saifuddin and Gov. Jerry Brown voted against.
Napolitano argued that the raise was necessary given state budget cuts, pointing out that state support is at its lowest in 30 years. The UC system receives $460 million less from the state today than it did before the recession.
“It’s hard to go to school already. It seems like only a select few can afford it,” said Cameron Peter, a Santa Rosa Junior College student. “Students and parents have to rely on financial aid and the government has to give more money to provide it.”
Napolitano said her plan will allow the UCs to invest in faculty. “This means we can increase course selection, speed time to graduation and better support graduate education as well as undergraduate education,” she said. “But we cannot continue to do these things without additional revenue.”
The University of California system’s current tuition is higher than the national average of $22,958 for students attending out-of-state and $9,139 for residents. In California, out-of-state students pay $35,000 while residents pay $12,192.
With tuition climbing by 5 percent annually, the figures could rise to $44,759 for out-of-state students and $15,650 for residents.
SRJC president Dr. Frank Chong expressed disappointment about the plan. “It’s not a good thing,” he said. He added that UC tuition is already expensive.
Chong said he believes Napolitano might be using the plan as leverage to get the state to help with funding.
Napolitano and regents received a strong reaction following their vote, as protests from students erupted throughout UC campuses.
Brown voiced strong opposition to the plan and urged Napolitano and the board to look to its budget and reduce costs to prevent rising tuition.
SRJC Vice President of Student Affairs, Dr. Mary Kay Rudolph, said that as a parent whose child attended UC Santa Barbara, she is unhappy and concerned about tuition rising.
“The good news is that we are here. It reinforces how critical it is to have a JC system at the caliber we have,” Rudolph said.
Rudolph highlighted that tuition costs in community colleges throughout California are the lowest in the nation.
Furthermore, SRJC offers financial aid resources and are bringing back the Doyle Scholarship. Rudolph also mentioned programs like the Associate Degree for Transfer to help SRJC students streamline their coursework before transferring to four-year universities.