RISE: The Universities of California increase tuition prices for the following year.
By Michelle Krakora, Staff Writer
The Universities of California (UCs) are one of the most expansive systems in the entire nation. With 83,000 new students since 2000, the state consistently paid less for students’ education. However, in the past decrease, the state’s share of payment for each student dropped from 74% in 2000 to 41 % in 2015, according to the UCs. Though rumors of tuition increase have been circulating since 2014, university heads have now decided it imperative to increase tuition by 2.5 % for California residents and 5% for out-of-state students. UC students will experience a tuition increase of $280 annually-with this amount increasing every year for the next four years.
Though this tuition hike is a small percentage, even claimed to go unnoticed if a student has financial aid, students protested the decision by participating in campus walkouts and others have protested outside the University of California Board of Regents in San Francisco. Students claim that though the tuition increase seems small, many students do not have enough money for food, housing or textbooks, let alone an increase in tuition. “I think the UCs get enough money as it is, and I don’t think they should increase the tuition because now intelligent students without the money will have to go to different school, where the tuition costs less,” Chayamard Tulyasuwan (12) said, having applied to 6 UC schools herself.
“Personally, I think it sucks that people are going to have to pay more for tuition because students will become stressed about money and consequently, will not be able to fully appreciate the blessing of education. In addition, it will likely decrease the amount of people who are able to obtain a graduate degree, which is often necessary in the ‘adult world,’” UC Berkeley sophomore Martina Krakora said. The UC president claims the tuition hike is solely in response to the lack of state funding. But students remain skeptical of the hike’s true purpose: “I would like to know where the government is redirecting the money that was being spent on higher education,” Krakora said.
University of California Regents also publicized the possibility of nonresident housing students having an 8% increase. The Regents stated that the additional funding will contribute to better advising, summer classes, programmatic innovations and curriculum reviews. To encourage students to obtain their degrees during the summer, three campuses will offer reduced tuition during the summer session.