This week the UC Board of Regents will consider a multi-year financing plan for the University of California that could include higher tuition. I want to take this opportunity to explain what that might mean for students here at UC Santa Cruz.
As outlined by President Napolitano, the plan would:
- Limit tuition increases to no more than 5 percent a year for five years if UC receives expected levels of financial support from the state;
- Apply to tuition, student fees, and professional fees;
- Translate to a maximum $612 increase in tuition and fees for in-state undergraduates in 2015-16 if state support continues;
- End the pattern that saw tuition hikes of as much as 30 or 40 percent in past years with little or no warning;
- Preserve UC's generous financial aid program that enables 55 percent of UCSC students to pay no tuition at all.
It could lower or eliminate tuition increases if the state provides additional funds to UC.
As I discussed during the online budget forum on Friday, UC will face significant budget shortfalls in the coming years. The proposed tuition increase would cover about one-third of our projected needs. Another third, from the governor's proposed 4 percent augmentation of state funds, would translate into about a 1.7 percent increase in our core funds. Other sources such as budget cuts, new efficiencies, fundraising, and alternative revenue sources will be needed to cover the final third.
Per-student state funding to the university has dropped nearly 25 percent over the past 10 years. State funds for UC were cut by nearly $1 billion since 2007. Despite the economic recovery, state funding for the university remains $460 million below 2007-08 levels, even as UC educates thousands more California students.
Here are some sites where you can find more information:
