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University Of California Student Fees May Increase Again

Steele Meisinger |
November 9, 2010 | 1:46 p.m. PST

Staff Reporter

UCLA (Creative Commons)
UCLA (Creative Commons)
The University of California proposed on Monday an 8 percent student fee increase for next fall. The plan would extend financial aid and reform pension plans for future employees.

If the plan is approved, undergraduate tuition would increase by $822 to $11,124. Add to that mandatory fees and the total comes to $12,150. Graduate tuition fees would also rise by 8 percent. The Regents will meet November 16-18 to discuss the proposed fee hikes.

The UC schools are down a billion dollars from previous budget cuts, even with the 32 percent tuition hike last year.

According to the LA Times, “The fee hikes would generate about $180 million in annual revenue.” One third of this revenue would be set aside for financial aid.

Yudof would like to extend the financial aid to California students whose family income is less than $80,000 annually. Currently, the financial aid program covers students whose family income is $70,000 annually. Students with annual family incomes of less than $120,000 would be exempt from the 8 percent increase for the first year.

The Regents will meet in December to discuss the proposed pension reforms. Employees hired after July 1, 2013 would receive a lower costing pension plan and less generous benefits. Current employees would not be affected by the new pension packages.

Although the fee hike would benefit students in some aspects, student representatives still criticized the plan.

“We are demanding no fee hikes for anyone,” said University of California Student Association President Claudia Magaña. “There has to be somewhere else to squeeze expenses."

Reach Steele Meisinger here.



 

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