College Students in California Are Outraged by Increases in College Tuition

As the continuing recession and downturn in the economy takes its toll on many Americans, it is now affecting colleges such as the University of California. The Board of Regents, in a meeting yesterday, implemented a plan to raise tuition (student fees) by thirty-two percent beginning with the next school year (2009-2010). This will place many students, who do not qualify for or cannot otherwise obtain financial aid, in a position of undue hardship and possibly affect their ability to continue their education. Furthermore, those who can obtain financial aid will face increased student loan repayments once they graduate.

California is not the only state to see a rise in college tuition and fees. College students across the country are feeling the pinch from their schools as boards raise tuition at state schools in response to the decrease in state and federal funds. Earlier this year, the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors raised tuition for the upcoming 2009-2010 school year by 5% for in-state undergrads and 5.1% for out of stated students. At Radford University, the increase was somewhat larger 5.6% and 6.5% respectively.

In June 2009, Colorado State University's board approved a 7.6% increase in tuition and fees for college students beginning with the 2009-2010 college year. However, Colorado State University will increase its budget for financial aid support for resident undergrads by 23.4% in an attempt to ease the burden on students who struggle to already pay tuition to attend the state funded college. Vice President for Enrollment, Robin Brown, said that "Increased financial aid is one of the many ways Colorado State works to make higher education accessible to all who qualify to pursue a CSU education, including first generation, limited income or ethnically diverse students."

In October of this year, the The Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education voted to raise tuition at state public colleges beginning with the 2010-2011 school year. The University of Rhode Island will see the largest increase with a 9.9% increase in fees and tuition while the lowest increase (8.2%) will be felt by students attending the Community College of Rhode Island. In addition to getting slapped with a hike in tuition, Rhode Island college students will also have a 5% increase in room and board rates. Since 2004, tuition at state colleges in Rhode Island has steadily increased between 64% and 75% forcing some students to seek alternative financing for college. Even though Rhode Island and other states are not raising fees and tuition as much as California is at one time, state public colleges across the country have been increasing tuition for several years and there seems to be no end to this trend in the near future.

Sources:

Tamar Lewin & Rebecca Cathcart, "Regents Raise College Tuition in California by 32 Percent",The New York Times

Daniel de Vise, "College tuition rises sharply in Virginia", The Roanoke Times

Colorado State University, "Anthony A. Frank Named President, 2009-2010 Budget Approved at Colorado State University System Board Meeting Wednesday"

Anish Gonchigar, "State colleges raise tuition and fees again", The Brown Daily Herald