Students enrolled in a Cal State University may find themselves doing a double-take when they go to pay their fees next year.
If a proposed fee increase passes as expected, students will be required to pay an extra $277 than the cost of a semester this year because of a proposed second increase in the mandatory State University Fee in just two years.
Due to a shortage of state funds, the Cal State Board of Trustees met earlier this month to discuss an increase in the systemwide State University Fee by 10% that would affect all of the nearly 450,000 students in the 23-school system.
Although no action has been taken, it is unlikely that the state, already struggling with a $10-billion deficit, will be able to provide the university system with the $73 million needed to avoid a fee increase, according to Patrick Lenz, Cal State University assistant vice chancellor for budget development.
While the university system is urging students to prepare for the very real possibility of a hike in the fee, some are also suggesting that students put their cost of education in perspective.
“It’s still one of the best deals in the country and financial aid will still be available,” said Elizabeth Atondo, director of the Transfer Center, referring to reports that Cal State undergraduate fees are approximately half the average of the country’s other 15 state universities.
The proposed increase in the fee would mark the second time in as many years that the university system has increased the same State University Fee by 10%.
The university system raised basic full-time undergraduate fees earlier this year for California residents by $252, or 10%, leaving the average undergrad student with a total of $3,476 in fees, excluding room, board and books.
The average Cal State student living off-campus will pay approximately $18,148 next year with the proposed fee increase, according to CSU Mentor.
Nonresident students in particular could be hit the hardest by the proposed increase since they are not entitled to financial aid.
“I’m an international student (at Cal State Northridge), so I’m already paying $339 per unit,” said Sanjit Saharma, an information systems major who also attends Pierce. “I’m just going to have to deal with the fee increase because there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Some students are finding the proposed hike overwhelming, even without nonresident fees.
“I wasn’t aware of it, but it doesn’t surprise me,” said Brian McKenzie, a business student who hopes to transfer to CSUN. “They’ve always been raising textbook prices so it was only a matter of time until they decided to overcharge us for tuition too.”