Tuition hike on table for University of California schools

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Student advocates are urging University of California regents to reject a proposed multi-year tuition increase that UC officials say is needed to keep campuses competitive, increase aid for low-income students and give families some financial predictability.

The proposal, dubbed the “forever hike" by opponents, would be the first increase in in-state tuition and fees for the 10-campus system since 2017. UC regents were meeting virtually on Thursday.

Kalli Zervas, a senator with the Associated Students of the University of California at Berkeley, said she was “absolutely appalled” that leaders would consider raising costs on low-income students such as herself.

“How dare you parade yourself as a diverse system?” she told regents. “At this rate, you might as well only accept the wealthy students, as you’re making it nearly impossible for the rest of us to attend.”

The proposal calls for tuition and fees to rise by 2% plus inflation for new undergraduates starting in the 2022-23 academic year and stay flat for those students for up to six years. It would increase by smaller percentages for each of the following incoming classes until the 2026-27 academic year, when any increase would be based solely on inflation.

UC officials estimate that will pencil out to $534 per undergraduate student in the next academic year, putting tuition and systemwide fees at just over $13,000 a year for in-state students. The estimate does not include additional campus-based fees.

The office of UC President Michael Drake said that an accompanying increase in financial aid would more than offset increases in tuition. Only students whose families earn $150,000 a year or more would benefit from keeping tuition flat, it said, whereas everyone else would benefit from more...