Students are still upset about the news last week from the California State University Board of Trustees, where they voted 10-2 for an increase in student fees by 5 percent. The continued cuts in the California state budget have forced the CSU system to raise fees to try and compensate for the loss of funding. This increase will set fees and tuition for in-state undergrads at $4,230 per year and graduate students at $5,214 a year. In addition Teacher Credential student fees will also increase by 5 percent which puts tuition at $4,908 per year. Previous increases, combined with this 5 percent bump could cause even more students to shy away from a CSU and attend another California college, or go out of state.
Last year there was a 32 percent increase in tuition and fees, which was attributed to a reduction in students enrolled within the CSU system. This additional bump is likely to force some students away as they struggle to pay for food and housing. The situation is therefore complicating things in California as students need to to get an education and graduate so that they will have a better chance to get a decent job. The state economy is struggling, and one of the best ways to start to get out of an economic slump would be to get more qualified and educated people into the workforce. No matter how rough the economic conditions become, California cannot give up on a commitment to higher education so that it can continue to graduate thousands of individuals every year who can then contribute more to the economic recovery.
