Dive Brief:
- University of California System officials are proposing tuition increases of as much as 5% per year for the next five years.
- The proposed increases could boost tuition for undergraduate residents of California to $12,804 next year and $15,564 for the 2019-2020 school year, the Los Angeles Times reports.
- Tuition at the schools has been frozen for three years.
Dive Insight:
More money is needed for rising retirement benefits costs, employee pay increases, and more faculty positions, with the number of California resident students enrolled as undergrads expected to increase over the next five years to 171,250, up from the current enrollment of 166,250. State funding is expected to increase 4% per year over the period, and the tuition hikes could be reduced or eliminated if the state funding increases more than that, according to UC System President Janet Napolitano — but Gov. Jerry Brown is opposed to the state funding increases. The proposed tuition hike is slated for a vote at a Nov. 19 and 20 meeting of the UC regents.