(University of California) proposing 32 percent fee hike

[Newsjock]

Source: Contra Costa Times

The University of California may raise student fees 32 percent by next fall, boosting annual undergraduate tuition over the $10,000 level for the first time ever.

UC regents next week will discuss the phased increases, which for most students would include a 7.5 percent hike for the upcoming spring term and then a sharper increase for the fall 2010 term. The decision, which would bring UC tuition to $10,302, would cost undergraduates an additional $2,500 per year.

Most graduate students also would pay about 32 percent more in fall 2010.

The board also will consider for the first time the possibility of charging more for undergraduate business and engineering students, much as it does for graduate students in those fields. Undergraduates in those departments would pay up to $1,000 more than other students.

A student leader called the fee increases "staggering."

Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_13311456?nclick_check=1

[villager]

1. "Fiat lux," my ass

And I'm a UC grad. Disgusting.

[DJ13]

2. When will the powers that be understand

.....they cant keep squeezing people for money?

Everything from food to fuel to fee based services keep going up, but wages and household net worth arent going up to pay for it.

[apnu]

26. I, for one, am looking forward to my comming serf-dom (nt)

[marshall]

37. The UC system isn't able to make its payroll

That's the word I heard today.

Expect other universities across the country to start poaching top faculty, who will be fleeing to greener pastures.

[itsrobert]

3. I think the Post 9/11 GI Bill has something to do with it

Other states charge a lot more for tuitions and/or fees. California is getting all these new (GI) students but aren't getting the money other state colleges are getting from the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

[villager]

4. other states charge more than 10 grand for their own residents to attend their colleges?

I don't think so -- that sort of defeats the purpose of a land grant university...

[itsrobert]

6. A lot more

California calls them fees other states call them tuition.

http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/CH33/Tuition_and_fees.htm

State Maximum Charge per Credit Hour Maximum Total Fees per Term
Alabama $291.67 $13,328.00
Alaska $159.00 $13,429.00
Arizona $657.00 $15,000.59
Arkansas $200.40 $1,811.40
California $287.00 $2,165.25
Colorado $497.00 $45,387.50
Connecticut $516.00 $2,508.50
Delaware $356.00 $523.00
District of Columbia $197.92 $620.00
Florida $295.00 $62,000.00
Guam $190.00 $245.00
Georgia $433.58 $15, 215.00
Hawaii $282.00 $1,449.40
Idaho $259.00 $2,821.30
Illinois $575.08 $12,836.00
Indiana $321.75 $12,438.00
Iowa $324.25 $11,817.00
Kansas $393.95 $3,804.00
Kentucky $430.30 $11,235.00
Louisiana $430.00 $2,622.70
Maine $329.17 $2,805.00
Maryland $458.13 $2,380.00
Massachusetts $330.00 $17,787.00
Michigan $990.00 $9,792.20
Minnesota $750.00 $4,493.86
Mississippi $449.00 $805.00
Missouri $269.00 $9,863.00
Montana $205.40 $4,250.16
Nebraska $236.75 $1,574.00
Nevada $136.00 $2,839.00
New Hampshire $932.54 $4,977.00
New Jersey $450.67 $5,736.00
New Mexico $212.58 $11,342.00
New York $1,010.00 $12,697.00
North Carolina $494.00 $2,163.90
North Dakota $409.56 $25,928.00
Ohio $477.00 $15,134.00
Oklahoma $151.00 $11,546.30
Oregon $438.00 $22,190.00
Pennsylvania $886.00 $6,391.00
Puerto Rico $90.00 $537.00
Rhode Island $343.00 $2,020.00
South Carolina $484.00 $4,305.50
South Dakota $93.40 $4,748.31
Tennessee $248.00 $13,190.00
Texas $1,471.00 $12,130.00
Utah $208.86 $63,576.50
Vermont $488.00 $2,511.00
Virgin Islands $120.00 $563.00
Virginia $326.00 $3,840.00
Washington $380.00 $14,444.50
West Virginia $266.92 $4,029.67
Wisconsin $663.00 $30,979.00
Wyoming $94.00 $4,335.00
Overseas $407.18 $10,502.97

[villager]

7. you may have a point, but they do have this disclaimer: "this information has no relationship to...

"...and should not be compared with, average costs of tuition and fees of public institutions within any state."

also, there's something screwy about those figures: On this chart, for example, California and Florida have nearly identical per unit costs, yet UC (back then) topped out at around $2200 a year, whereas Florida is a whopping $62,000.

I'd just like to know how they arrived at those figures.

[Bill McBlueState]

25. "that sort of defeats the purpose of a land grant university"

Yes, but that doesn't seem to bother the decision-makers too much.

[dana_b]

39. I work at UCSF

and the UC system budget was cut $813 million by the governor and our esteemed legislature. So they raised tuition, activated furloughs and are leaving vacant positions vacant.

It's hard times around the campus and medical center

edit* OOPS! I posted this in the wrong place. Ah well...

[trackfan]

5. That's obscene. When I went to UC there was NO tuition.

There was a registration fee of $131 per quarter; books were about $50-75, and parking $27 per quarter.

[Libertas1776]

9. SUNY (State University of NY) Universities

and community colleges all use to be free, save a few minor fees. But, alas, that was a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, apparently.

[Eric J in MN]

21. When was that? NT

NT

[trackfan]

24. 1977-1981 n/t

[slackmaster]

27. It was $151 per quarter at UCSD when I enrolled in 1975

It was up to about $300 by the time I graduated. I spent a lot more on books than on fees.

[Igel]

28. As of '99 UC schools still had no tuition for in-state students.

I think that's still true.

What the OP calls "tuition" is officially termed "fees".

It includes stu-gov fees, student health fees, ASUCLA seismic renovation fee, an ed tech fee, and all sorts of other fees. The big debate in the late '90s was how to apportion fees to comply with state law. By law, at least at the time, student fees couldn't pay for tuition, i.e., for faculty salaries; I don't recall if they could pay for standard adjuncts for faculty (i.e., chalk, photocopies). In any event, the administration started peeling out everything else--costs of keeping the grounds, building maintenance, utilities, administrative costs, etc., etc., etc. and putting all that in a separate budget category that *could* be covered by student fees.

[Adsos Letter]

8. Great.

The CSU already raised "fees" 30% this year...I wonder if they will go up again next year when UC raises theirs. :(

[LibDemAlways]

10. My daughter's high school is obsessed with making sure the students,

all students, qualify for UC admission as freshmen. Kids are cajoled into taking nothing but honors and AP courses with ridiculous amounts of homework so they can get into a UC. This is touted as the be all and end all. It's partly a snob thing.

Of course what gets lost in the hoopla is the fact that UCs are damn expensive - $25K a year for a kid to live on campus. These proposed fee increases will raise that number significantly.

Never mentioned is the fact that 40% of the kids at the local high school stay home after graduation, and most of those attend the local community college. There they can take two years of the same courses offered by the UC at a fraction of the cost. Then they can transfer to a UC to complete their degree which will still read UC Whatever. Or they can transfer to a State university or to a private college. There are a lot of options that save a lot of money.

Bottom line is that these fee increases will boost enrollment - at community colleges throughout the state.

[Xithras]

33. No, it won't

Californias community colleges are broke, and new students can't get classes. I was just reading an article in my local paper the other day, talking about how our local community colleges have no room for students. 98% of classes are full, and 91% of full classes have waitlists (students who wanted to get in the class, but were unable to find a seat). There are lots of stories about new students (who generally have the lowest registration priority) being unable to get into ANY classes because EVERY class they needed was full.

You remember the old (bad) joke about the redneck genius who spent 8 years of his life completing his college degree? His relatives threw him a party when he graduated...he was the first person in his family to ever earn an AA.

Sadly, that joke is becoming a reality. Lots of CC counselors are saying that it may now take 3-4 years for a DEDICATED student to earn a two year degree or two years worth of transfer credits, simply because the courses won't have openings for them.

[glinda]

11. When tuition or fees raise, it generally means that their health care for employees went up.

I am not kidding. My husband is a retired College Prof and he pointed it out to me. It is true. All the Insurance Companies are raising rates right now and Blue Cross Blue Shield has a big tie to some Universities. They are raising rates on families and individuals too right now.

[Tiggeroshii]

12. FML

...:banghead:

[PDJane]

13. It's a fine way to make sure that the elites stay in power,

however. I mean hell, if everyone could get an education, just think of the difficulty they'd have in keeping all that lovely money to themselves.

[dubeskin]

14. Well so much for seeing a Sophomore year at UC Davis then

I mean, heck, my family and I are barely able to pull together the $13k I need for HALF of this year's tuition. The other half is coming from student loans and grant money. And I know I'm in better shape then some people I've talked with who are paying even less with more student loans. This is getting ridiculous and it's time the liberals in California take a stand against this kind of nonsense.

I have many friends who are opting to stay in town and take classes at the local community college (Sierra) instead because it's cheaper. You have the UC route where you pay $26k. Or you take equivalent credit classes at Sierra for $1,000 MAX and shoot for an Associate's Degree or transfer to another college later. It's not too hard of a choice really for some because of cost, but I've seen several people who studied their asses off in AP classes only to have to resort to taking out bulking amounts in student loans or just fiddling around at Sierra for two years.

If this goes through, it's going to hurt the CA school system even harder because then there will be even LESS of an incentive to work hard if you can just barely pass high school, slide into a community college, and then MAYBE get around to a 4-year UC if you can afford it. And it doesn't help the job market is so terrible that us Freshman can't get jobs anyway.

[LibDemAlways]

16. The UCs will see a big drop off in freshman applications as

qualified kids who can't afford the steep price tag head to their local community colleges. It will then become more competitive to transfer in as a junior as all those kids clamor for spots in their third year. It will be interesting to see how this shakes out.

By the way I'm the parent of a high school junior who is earning straight A's. She's going to community college to get those first two years out of the way on the cheap. Then (hopefully) she'll be able to be one of those competing for a UC transfer slot.

I hope you are able to stay at Davis. It's one campus I haven't seen, but would like to.

[Adsos Letter]

17. They are capping enrollments now anyway, due to staff cutbacks

and furlough days. At least in the CSU system, and I think UC is following suit.

[raystorm7]

15. Those schools up in Canada look very good about now.

[Liberty Belle]

18. Oh F***, my daughter's applying to UC for fall. We can't afford this.

I hate those rat bastard Republicans who won't raise taxes but are breaking the backs and bank accounts of college kids and their parents!

CSU schools are also seeing hikes in fees and cuts in classes. The students and faculty were out protesting last week.

Please if you live in CA, for the sake of the kids, call and email your legislators and urge them to stop these hikes and start making all Californians help support our next generation's education!

[Liberal_in_LA]

23. yes, CSU already implemented big pay hikes

[Trillo]

19. Did'nt y'all hear: College is all about Making Money.

Giroux's books include the recently-released Youth in a Suspect Society: Democracy or Disposability? and The University in Chains: Confronting the Military-Industrial-Academic Complex. He just wrote the piece "The Corporate Stranglehold on Education," which states: "In the age of money and profit, academic subjects gain stature almost exclusively through their exchange value on the market.

http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/09/08-5

[droidamus2]

20. I thought

Having grown up in California and graduated from CSU, Chico I thought that part of the reason for establishing the California college and University system was to provide Californians with a reasonably low cost higher education. I believe it is actually stated in bills that established the system. Yet anytime there is a budget crunch fees go up. Even when I was attending in the 1980's and the fees were much more reasonable they still seemed to raise them every year. Higher education should not just be for the 'moneyed' classes or those that are willing to saddle themselves with huge amount of debt before they even start their careers.

[LibDemAlways]

22. True. Higher education should not be exclusively for the rich or for those

willing to go hundreds of thousands of dollars into debt. Unfortunately, that's what it's become. My brother and sister-in-law worked hard and sacrificed mightily to send their son to an expensive university. Most of the kids he met there came from very wealthy homes. Just another way, I suppose, to keep the middle and lower classes in perpetual servitude - deny them an education by virtue of cost.

[Igel]

30. There's another correlation.

My wife teaches at an expensive private university. Most of the kids come from well-off families.

Some don't.

However, an even larger percentage of kids come from families where at least one of the parents attended college. Kids from such families tend to have far higher SAT scores, qualify for more merit-based funding, and have an easier time getting into really good schools. Not accidentally, college educated parents tend to have higher than average incomes.

At least for academic achievement, the parents' education level has more to say about whether or not their kids go to college than the parents' income, wealth, or race. (Note that these three are correlated, and by leaving out the parents' education level you can suddenly make it all about income and race.)

[LibDemAlways]

32. My husband and I are both college-educated. We have one child, a daughter

who is sixteen. Financially we have no choice but to send her to the community college for the first two years. We are hoping to swing a UC for her junior and senior years, but more than that would eat up what little we have for retirement. My husband is a pay-as-you-go guy, and borrowing money would be out of the question. All of this is contingent on both of us being able to stay employed until retirement age - an iffy prospect at best.

I understand the correlation. My own parents insisted that all three of their children attend college. It was a given, but it was a lot less expensive back then. I paid less than a hundred dollars in student fees per semester back in 1970 at a Cal State, and my share of an off-campus apartment was $75.00 a month. Impossible today.

[YvonneCa]

36. It is awful, but not hopeless. She can get her GE...

...classes cheaper at a community college and transfer. Although she may not like the idea, college closer to home is a good idea...especially in the beginning....she may have to stay or move home to afford things. File the FAFSA and look for grants/loans for the last two years. She can also work part time to offset costs.

It sounds very difficult...and it is...but it builds character. My daughter did this and graduated from UCSB. I am VERY proud of her.I have a friend with sons who did the same thing...they have grown into wonderful, responsible young men.

Try not to be overwhelmed. :)

[Igel]

29. That's why they were established.

UC schools were into research and more grad/professional programs. CSU schools more into teaching. UC was to be a tier above CSU, and within UC there were tiers--Berkeley and UCLA as "flagship schools" for the northern and southern halves of the tate (UCSD wanted to split the southern half into two and grab "flagship" status for itself--I don't know whatever came of that).

The problem was this required funding and the legislature wasn't going to devote the money to the schools when there were budget crunches. This was for a few reasons. First, tax revenue was restricted by some propositions; second, K-12 education and other functions of government got mandated budget allocations (as a % of the budget) by proposition; third, other programs were ranked higher.

The first two legislators didn't always have a lot of control over, but the third was political at times--and not just in the "we have to keep Medical funded or increase spending on this program over here". No, it was more personal from time to time. If they didn't like how the UC and CSU schools were functioning, if they didn't yield to political pressure or suck up enough, they didn't get their allocations. This resulted in politicking between UC and the legislature when I was there. The legislature didn't fund UC? Fine--Regents would raise fees. This was politically unpopular, so after having made a stink about not wanting to fund UC the legislators had a problem; their response was to "buy out" the fee increase, to give UC money precisely equal to the amount the increased fees would yield, on a year-by-year basis, contingent upon the Regents not actually implementing the fee increase. This is fine, but it meant the fee increases were still on the books; it also meant that the legislative money wasn't actually normal UC allocations, but "something extra" which could easily lapse when there was a budget crunch of even moderate proportions.

UC's response was to seek to become virtually a private school. The state funding was a 20% or so in 1998 (and had been for a few years), leaving a lot of budget holes to be filled, exp. on the larger campuses. Extramural grants and research funding (with exhorbitant overhead allowances) helped. "Development"--i.e., fundraising--brought in a lot of money both for projects and for the endowment. They rent out venues, and that turns a profit.

[joeglow3]

31. Why are business classes more?

I assure you, we used NO supplies and our classes cost less than many other classes on campus.

[Xithras]

34. The theory...

...is that people educating themselves for a future in a higher wage field should carry a larger burden, simply because they'll be getting a greater cash reward from their degrees. Business school and engineering students will have to suffer with more student debt, but will be in a better position to pay it off after they graduate.

I do NOT agree with that line of thinking, but that's where it comes from.

[Posteritatis]

35. Students are often sent to them *by* businesses, who are willing to pay more. (nt)

[alcibiades_mystery]

38. Because you have to pay business faculty

Who are generally more able to make much more money in the non-academic sector than, say, a history professor.

[DebbieCDC]

40. Is this so Berkley can pay John Yoo's salary...

or his legal bills?