Students planning on transferring to one of the 10 University of California campuses will face a rise in tuition costs as UC President Janet Napolitano’s plan was approved by the UC governing board on Nov. 20.
According to the Daily Californian, the plan to raise tuition costs over the next five years received a seven to two approval amid UC student protesters shouting “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Napolitano’s got to go” and the opposition of Governor Jerry Brown.
Under Napolitano’s plan revealed on Nov. 13, tuition rates that have been frozen for the past three years will soon begin to increase as much as five percent each year unless the UC system receives more funding.
For example, UC students that pay a current tuition of $12,192 will have to pay a tuition cost of $12,804 next fall.
If this rate continues, by 2019 students might have to pay as much as $15,564 per semester.
“We are being honest, being honest with Californians in terms of cost and also ensuring that we are continuing to maintain the University of California in terms of academic excellence,” Napolitano said to the Associated Press.
According to the LA Times, Senate leader Kevin de León, unsatisfied with the proposal, offered an alternative to Napolitano through a letter and phone call, asking her to consider raising out-of-state tuition instead.
“California’s university system is one of the premier higher education systems in the world, and we should require that non-resident students pay a premium to attend it,” de León wrote in a message to Napolitano. “The revenue generated from these fees can be used to increase affordability and access for more Californians.”
Napolitano had a noncommittal response to de León during a meeting with The Sacramento Bee editorial board.
“Obviously that’s something to be looked at,” Napolitano said. “It would not in and of itself solve this problem.”
De León argued to the LA Times for an out-of-state tuition increase by evaluating the benefits of nonresidents.
“They are not paying for all the building that taxpayers of California paid for during the last 40 years,” de León said.
Not only does de León consider decades of taxpayer investment in the UC system, but he also argues that California’s economy suffers as well.
“Many foreign students take their California degrees back to their home countries,” de León said. “They become entrepreneurs that develop products that they sell back to us.”
Governor Jerry Brown acknowledged the UC financial dilemma in his budget statement released in January.
“The University has undertaken some meaningful initiative to reduce administrative costs; however, it needs to also implement models of delivering quality education at a lower cost and that improve student outcomes,” Brown said in the fiscal report.
According to the LA Times, UC students and faculty members feel misled by Brown because general revenue funds remain $460 million lower than they were seven years ago, though UC state funding has recently risen.
Problems with UC funding have been ongoing for decades, and the issue continues to require attention.