California State University system raises tuition

March 24, 2017

Much to the chagrin of students clamoring for the state to ease the financial burden of attending college, the California State University Board of Trustees approved a tuition hike this week.

Starting in the upcoming fall term, annual student tuition will increase by $270 to $5,742 for undergraduate students. Cal Poly undergraduates currently pay $9,075 a year because of extra fees tacked on to the CSU tuition. The upcoming tuition increase will apply to Cal Poly students as well.

The tuition hike, which is the first in six years, is expected to generate $77.5 million in net revenue, according to a CSU press release. CSU officials say the increased revenue is intended to bolster student success initiatives, like a plan to double four-year graduation rates and eliminate all equity gaps for low-income and under-served students.

“The university faces a critical juncture where additional revenue is needed if we are to continue the trajectory that has seen campuses reach all-time highs in graduation rates,” said Steve Relyea, the CSU’s executive vice chancellor and chief financial officer. “If our advocacy efforts do not result in adequately funding the trustees’ budget request, the revenue generated by this increase will allow us to add faculty, courses, advisors and other resources to improve students’ opportunities for success. This is not a course of action that is taken lightly. Through the university’s robust financial aid program we will ensure that students who require the most financial assistance will not face any additional burden associated with the tuition increase.”

Currently, 80 percent of CSU students receive some type of student aid, the press release states. More than 60 percent of all CSU undergraduate students receive grants or waivers to cover the full cost of tuition. Thus, more than 255,000 students are not paying tuition.

The state Legislature is currently considering a plan to dramatically hike student aid in order to eradicate student loans for nearly 400,000 students in the CSU and UC systems, as well as to cover the cost of tuition and living expenses. The proposal is estimated to cost $1.6 billion a year when fully implemented.

Last year, students at Cal Poly participated in a mock funeral, or “die in,” to protest the then-planned tuition hike. The mock funeral was meant to symbolize the death of the CSU system, which the protesters said is being privatized.

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