

UC approves additional 9.6 percent tuition hike

July 14, 2011 12:00:00 AM PDT
University of California campuses are raising tuition by nearly 10 percent in the upcoming school year.

It's the second recent tuition hike approved by the UC Board of Regents. They say the UC system is facing a $1 billion shortfall due to rising costs and a loss in state funding.

But students at UCLA are wondering if there are other ways for school officials to fill the budget gap.

"It's actually really stressing me out right now, as it is a lot of students," said student Lorena Gray. "Because we just can't afford it."

The pressure is on for UC students. Just months after an approved 8 percent increase in tuition, there is now a 9.6 percent hike.

The bottom line: undergraduate tuition at UC schools will cost nearly $2,000 more this fall than it did the past school year.

"It's really hard, especially when you're trying to work at the same time as you're going to school and then financial aid isn't necessarily helping you out all the time," said student Lorena Gray. "It's making it very, very difficult for us to continue our education."

University officials say their hands are tied. The state cut $650 million from the budget two days before the start of the 2011-2012 fiscal year. It received no notice and couldn't give students any warning.

"I mean it's tough," said student Marc Aaron Takagaki. "The state is in trouble with money so we have to find cuts somewhere. But it's also important to support education, so it's kind of like what should you do?"

The UC fee hike comes on the heels of a tuition increase at Cal State university schools as well. Students organized campus protests there. But at UCLA there weren't student demonstrations, as most undergrads are taking the summer off.

"There are not that many people here, so I haven't heard much about it as I did during the school year," said Gray. "During the school year, there was a lot of issues with it actually and a lot of students weren't happy."

"It's just unfair to everybody, just the state that everyone's in with the budget," said Takagaki. "The state, the schools, it's unfair to the professors, to the staff, to the students, to the residents of California. You have to pay the taxes for it. That's just unfair to everybody, I guess."

The latest increase is expected to raise $216 million. UC officials say a third of that will go to financial aid.

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