With room and board factored in, a year at UC costs about $28,000, while a year at Stanford costs around $50,000. But dig a little deeper and the difference isn’t as great as it appears at first glance. That’s because on average students at nonprofit private schools are paying less than half the so-called "sticker price." And many students whose families earn too much to qualify for grants at public schools can receive substantial scholarships at private schools. "In many cases it’s reducing the costs to at or below the UC’s because of all the fee increases…"

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by Laurel Rosenhall, The Sacramento Bee.

Posted: November 15th, 2010, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

Most of the nine UC campuses that enroll undergraduates report sending admissions staffers more often this year than in previous years to visit high schools, college admissions fairs and other events outside the state. Some are taking these steps for the first time, pushed by the state’s budget crisis and the chance to garner the extra $23,000 in annual tuition UC charges each non-resident student. The push for out-of-state students comes as UC also tries more traditional ways to boost its revenues. This week, the university’s regents will vote on a proposal to raise student fees for undergraduates 8% for the next school year. The board also is scheduled to discuss the plan to increase out-of-state enrollment across the system.

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by Larry Gordon, The Los Angeles Times.

Posted: November 14th, 2010, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

The battle isn’t really over the humanities anymore (though the humanities are going to take the brunt of this), but the actual idea of education as a public good, the idea that someone can develop their full capabilities in the wealthiest nation on Earth without entering debt peonage… That right now is the moment our country is turning toward the idea of massive indebtedness as a prerequisite toward participating in the 21st-century economy is incredibly cynical, given how much worthless debt is hanging like an albatross around the neck of this fragile recovery.

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by Mike Konczal, The Washington Post.

Posted: November 12th, 2010, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

Higher education in California is under attack. The assault is coming from years of state budget cuts and public educators imposing hefty fee increases. No points for guessing the losers: current and future students, their bill-paying families, and the state’s economy. It’s time to call a stop to tuition raises. The increases have grown from a last-resort answer to weak finances to a nearly automatic feature that’s punishing students and derailing otherwise college-bound youth… One solution — and it won’t be an easy political sell — is higher state payments to both UC and CSU. Taxes are unpopular, but so is the fact that California lacks the educated workforce it will need to power the economy in years to come.

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by The Editors, The San Francisco Chronicle.

Posted: November 10th, 2010, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

Now the $4,200 yearly tuition is expected to rise by 5% next semester and an additional 10% the following academic year, climbing close to $5,000 — more than three times what it was a decade ago. Meanwhile, UC President Mark Yudof on Monday released a "letter to California" calling for an 8% increase in fees — which also look and feel a lot like tuition — to more than $11,000. This, after a wallet-emptying 32% increase last year… Both university systems plan to add financial aid for more students, which is of little help to struggling middle-class families. They’re the ones who’ll pay for the increased financial aid through the fee and tuition increases.

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by The Editors, The Los Angeles Times.

Posted: November 10th, 2010, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

Faced with flagging state funding and a $1-billion budget hole, University of California officials on Monday proposed several actions to preserve programs and stabilize finances, including far-reaching pension reforms and an 8% student fee increase for next school year. "It’s frustrating to have to go through this every year; there’s no security," said UC Student Assn. President Claudia Magana, a junior at UC Santa Cruz. "Many middle-class students don’t have access to grants. There has to be somewhere else to squeeze expenses."

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by Carla Rivera, The Los Angeles Times.

Posted: November 9th, 2010, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

Price tags at the state’s universities have been skyrocketing well beyond inflation. Between 2003 and 2008, fees at UC and Cal State campuses went up by about 70 percent while personal income grew by about 30 percent and inflation by about 20 percent, according to the California Postsecondary Education Commission. Both of California’s public university systems are considering fee hikes even though they received a boost in state funding of more than 11 percent in the budget Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed last month. Yudof credited "better treatment by the Legislature and our $500 million in efficiencies" for keeping the proposed fee hike from being higher than 8 percent. This year’s increase in state funding doesn’t make up for two decades of shrinking state funds, he said. When adjusted for inflation, UC now receives half the state funding it did 20 years ago on a per-student basis.

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by Laurel Rosenhall, The Sacramento Bee.

Posted: November 9th, 2010, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

Back in 1981, fees were only $110 each semester at Chico State. The state trumpeted the fact that its public system of higher education was so affordable. Now the fees are $2,810 each semester at Chico State. And rising. In January, they will be $2,915. By August, they will be $3,137. Ten percent fee increases were no big deal when the cost was $110 per semester. What’s an extra $11? But when fees are $3,000 a semester and you add 10 percent, it starts to add up quickly. Even during the dotcom boom when the state was flush with cash, fees rose. Even now when inflation is flat, fees rise.

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by The Editors, The Chico Enterprise Record.

Posted: November 7th, 2010, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

The executive director of the University of California, Riverside, Palm Desert campus, and five other employees were laid off effective Monday, the school reported Friday. The cutbacks, which represented 40 percent of the graduate center’s budget, should not impact academic programs and were caused by state budget cuts, not performance, said Marcia McQuern, associate vice chancellor for Strategic Communications at UCR.

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by Michelle Mitchell, The Desert Sun.

Posted: October 30th, 2010, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.

Cal State proposes a 5% increase for the rest of this school year and a 10% increase for next school year, while UC regents are likely to vote on higher fees next month. California’s two public university systems are expected to seek student fee increases next month to help pay for rising costs inside and outside the classroom that a recent boost in state funding didn’t fully cover, officials said.

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by Carla Rivera and Larry Gordon, The Los Angeles Times.

Posted: October 30th, 2010, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.