CSU Announces Tuition Hike Plan Despite Equity Concerns

There will be a significant change in California State University's tuition policy after over a decade of not raising tuition. The plan suggests raising undergraduate and graduate school tuition by 6% each year, which would result in an increase of $342 for undergraduates in the first year, but students receiving state financial aid would not be affected. The series of tuition hikes has no fixed end-date and will be reassessed after five years. Historically, Cal State relied heavily on state funding, but that support has decreased over the years, leading to the need for alternative revenue sources. 

While the proposed tuition increases may generate additional revenue for the university, they are unlikely to effectively address the disparities among racial groups or improve higher education accessibility. Instead, this exacerbates existing inequalities and hinder the university's aspirations to improve graduation rates and faculty pay.  To achieve a more equitable and accessible higher education system, alternative solutions that target the root causes of disparities. The reality of our continually decreasing funding for higher education is because of the funding gap in our K-12 schools because of Prop. 13. Reforming Prop. 13 will give not only our K-12 public schools the funding they need, but it will also lessen the burden from students. We must invest in public education and redirect efforts of taking money from students and struggling families and instead take that money from big corporations. 

Students walk across the campus at Fresno State in Fresno, on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. Photo by Larry Valenzuela for CalMatters

Cal State proposes regular tuition hikes to forestall budget gap

By Mikhail Zinshteyn, Cal Matters | 6/30/2023