CSU board weighs 6% annual tuition hike amid funding gap, protests
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Rep. Nancy Pelosi speaks at San Francisco State University's 2019 commencement ceremony at Oracle Park. Photo: Ray Chavez/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images
At the California State University (CSU) system's Board of Trustees meeting this week, a proposed tuition hike has taken the main stage.
Why it matters: A funding gap has spurred the board to consider an annual 6% tuition increase for full-time undergraduate tudents for five years. Tuition would jump from $5,742 to $6,084 in the first year and reach $7,682 by the 2028-29 academic year.
- The CSU system faces a 15% funding gap — around $1.5 billion — between the revenue it receives and its operating costs, a May report found.
State of play: CSU has nearly 500,000 students and about 60,000 employees. That includes Bay Area campuses San Francisco State University, which serves roughly 26,000 students, and San José State University, which is the CSU's oldest institution and serves almost 25,000 students.
- But CSU has struggled in recent years to meet needs — the May analysis highlighted that support for student services like academic advising and counseling received the lowest funding in proportion to total costs for the 2021-22 school year.
- The report, led by CSU's Sustainable Financial Model Workgroup, also revealed that the system's revenues only covered 86% of its overall costs in that same year.
Of note: CSU last raised tuition in 2017 by 4.9%.
Yes, but: Students have expressed concern about the impact of a tuition hike, especially if it remains indefinite. The California State Student Association (CSSA) released a statement Tuesday in opposition to the proposal and noted that it would hurt students struggling with the pandemic aftermath and escalating living costs.
- CSSA leaders have previously stated the importance of addressing the student debt crisis, especially given the system's demographics. Almost 80% of CSU's fall 2022 student population were students of color.
- Staff unions have also called on the system to adopt recommendations from a lawmaker-backed report that would enact a series of 5% raises after the study found that CSU staff earn about 12% less than comparable workers in their fields.
What they're saying: Dozens of CSU faculty members and students rallied Tuesday to protest the tuition hike while calling on CSU to increase wages for staff.
- Several student organizers emphasized public universities' role responsibility in fostering an equitable system that doesn't leave low-income and other marginalized students behind.
- "This is not the time for these students to carry the financial burden of the CSU," CSU faculty union president Charles Toombs told trustees Tuesday.
What to watch: CSU leaders are aiming to get the board's approval on a tuition hike at its next meeting in September.