CSU system will increase fees 15 percent throughout the next two semesters
By Robert Moreno, Staff Writer
The cost to attend college in the California State University system just got more expensive. Last week, the CSU Board of Trustees voted 14 to 2 in favor of a midyear tuition hike. This means the CSU system will increase tuition by a combined 15 percent for the 2011-12 school years. The upcoming spring semester will see tuition increase by 5 percent ($105) while the fall semester may implement a 10 percent spike – or a $444 increase. Media relations specialist for the CSU system Erik Fallis said students may not have to foot the entire bill.
“We have made a request of the state of California that in addition to providing us with an adequate level of support that they also buy out the fee increase,” Fallis said. “Depending on when that happens we’ll either be able to rescind it before students end up paying their fees or we can rescind it afterwards too.”
“It just really depends on what happens in the state legislative process, but our hope is that the legislature will prioritize the funding for the CSU so that we do not have to charge this 10 percent.”
This fall, full-time undergraduate students paid $2,115. The increase in tuition will now cost a full-time student $2,220 for the spring semester. Annual tuition for an undergraduate student is $4,230, but with the tuition increase the annual tuition would increase by $654 next fall to $4,884 if the state does not buy out the tuition increase. Graduate programs would undergo a tuition jump to $6,018 from the current $ 5,214.
The need to increase student fees again comes from the need to offset deep cuts in state funding that have led to staff furloughs, fewer courses and enrollment reductions, Fallis said.
According to Fallis, student tuition dollars only account for one-third of the funding to educate and serve students; the remaining two-thirds comes from the state.
Fallis also said half of the CSU’s undergraduates do not pay tuition. He said these students have their tuitions paid for in the forms of state and federal grants and waivers.
This is the fifth time in the last three years the CSU trustees have increased student tuition. It is estimated the tuition hikes will generate an additional $175 million annually for the CSU system.
Dr. James Kitchen, the vice president for student affairs, said he understands the students’ frustrations with the tuition increases but also said an increase in tuition will enhance the educational experience.
“This state is hurting,” Kitchen said. “We really are hurting. SDSU along with all the other CSU schools. We’ve taken a big hit from a budget perspective. This 5 percent and 10 percent increase is going to help us to sustain … and also continue to provide a good quality service for students.”
Kitchen said the increase will help with the addition of more classes and retain quality professors, and added a combined 15 percent increase is reasonable.
Fallis said students who might have trouble adjusting to the increase in tuition should research financial aid options.
“A lot of students don’t understand how generous the financial aid package is in the state of California,” he said.
Fallis said there should be many opportunities for financial aid with the tuition increase because one-third of revenue from tuition increases will be set aside for financial aid, primarily in the form of State University grants.
In addition to the increase in tuition, the CSU Board of Trustees and Chancellor Charles B. Reed plan to break away from California’s Master Plan for Higher Education by changing the terminology used to refer to certain charges assessed from “fees” to “tuition.” The reasoning is that it is no longer accurate to claim that CSU schools are “tuition-free”, which caused several problems with the GI Bill.
“The change in terminology from ‘fees’ to ‘tuition’ will allow us to more accurately define the expenses charged to students, while eliminating confusion and improving our efficiencies in regards to financial aid,” Dr. Benjamin J. Quillian, CSU executive vice chancellor for business and finance, said.
The University of California system is also considering a tuition hike of 8 percent.
