As the spring semester comes to an end, California State University, Stanislaus, (Stan State) students are trying to process the new California State University (CSU)-wide tuition increase that is planned to go into effect this upcoming fall.
The 270 dollars increase is another expense that struggling students must overcome in order to gain a higher education. Although resources such as the financial aid office are in place to help students with the transition, students still have mixed emotions about the inevitable situation.
“I feel like this is something that should be talked about more publicly in order to prepare students better for this increase. As a college student, money is hard to come by so having to pay extra will tighten my budget even more so,” Ruby Quiralte (junior, Kinesiology) said.

Although an extra 270 dollars out of pocket may seem like a lot, compared to other CSU campuses, Stan State still manages to be one of the least expensive. This, of course, is including academic expenses, with an estimate to living expenses.

“That extra money could go to my rent or household items since I am from out of state,” Sierra Mariano (freshman, Liberal Studies) said.

Financial stability may be a struggle with the increase in tuition, but with grants, waivers and financial aid, the financial increase can be covered and for some students who pay out of pocket, the increase has little to no effect on them.

“I wouldn’t mind paying an extra 200 dollars for a needed upgrade, however it is unfortunate the benefits coming out of it did not happen sooner,” Deenah San Luis (senior, Kinesiology) said.

That brings up the question, what do the students believe the money should be used for? The campus may have one agenda, but students may have another.
“I think the money should go towards updating the classroom with technology. That is highly beneficial to students especially at the college level,” Mariano stated.

“Updating our campus would be nice…making it more modern and friendlier with better social areas, food courts and coffee shops,” Quiralte said.

Although those things would be a nice addition to the campus, the increase has a specific plan on what to do with the money. The tuition increase is primarily meant to help with graduation rates. Students should look forward to an increase in professors, classes and advisors.
“This will not only create revenue for our school but increase student socialization and activity overall,” said Quiralte.