The University of California meeting room was overwhelmed with frustration Thursday as regents considered the first tuition fee increase for the first time in six years.
According to ABC7 News, students will be expected to pay an extra $337 in tuition starting next year. The fees for the student services would increase to $1,128, but according to Dianne Klein, UC spokeswoman, the financial aid would be able to cover the increases for the two thirds of the university's California resident students.
As for the nonresident undergraduates, they would be facing a total increase of $1,688, LA Times reported.
The meeting was attended by only a handful of students, as many of them felt that the increase was modest and overdue. One regent said that the student costs alone are already very painful, and another one raised questions as to whether there could be alternatives to bring in more money without having to burden students and families.
Klein said that they have already reached the point that called for the hike, or the quality of education will have to suffer, and that they want to give the new students if not the same, a much better learning experience than the ones who came before them.
Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom told the regents that students do not find the decision surprising anymore, because people have come to expect that, he said, although he voted against the increase. While most regents voted in favor of the hike, they also said that the state should somehow provide more funding for the university.
UC Chief Financial Officer Nathan Brostrom also told regents there was no other choice because their resources have already reached their limit. However, critics have emphasized the additional burden this will be placed on the students who are struggling to pay for their education.
