Like their counterparts in the University of California system, trustees for California State University campuses are mulling over a possible tuition hike.
The CSU trustees, meeting in Long Beach this week, are scheduled to consider the university’s budget for the coming academic year — including a discussion on possible tuition hikes. A vote on potential tuition hikes, however, is not expected for months.
Under one proposal for undergraduate students from California, an increase would translate to an extra $228 for the 2018-19 academic year, raising tuition to $5,970. For non-resident undergraduate students, a potential tuition increase of $900 for a full-time student would increase the out-of-state supplemental fee to $12,780.
Current funding levels are not enough to keep the university’s operations going, CSU trustees have said. Still, several trustees have said they want a tuition increase to be the last thing they consider in filling a budget gap of $171 million between what CSU says it needs and what Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed.
“The budget process is just getting underway, and this conversation will extend beyond our upcoming board meeting and engage many constituents and partners over the coming days and months,” CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White said in a statement.
“Funding the CSU at an appropriate level is imperative — there is no other investment that has the potential to elevate the futures of so many Californians,” said White, who oversees the largest university system in the nation: 23 campuses with nearly 51,000 faculty and staff members and some 484,000 students.
CSU trustees plan to discuss the budget on Tuesday, Jan. 30, during the second of their three-day meeting.
Last week, the UC system’s Board of Regents postponed voting on a possible tuition-and-fees hike after students and lawmakers lobbied for them to hold off. That panel is now scheduled to take up the matter in May, when it might again consider a $342 increase in tuition and service fees for California students, raising the annual cost to $12,972, and $987 more for out-of-state students, increasing the supplemental tab for those non-California students to $28,992.
Both UC and CSU systems raised tuition last year, the first time since 2011. Leaders from both system said they plan to work with state lawmakers to increase funding in hopes of avoiding tuition hikes.
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