News of a potential Cal State University tuition increase broke on Facebook after California State Student Association advocacy officer Sarah Bentley posted a status detailing the proposed cost hike.
CSSA is a student-advocacy organization that lobbies in Sacramento each year for the CSU system. There is an optional payment of a $2 CSSA fee on MyCSULB.
The increase would be implemented for the 2017-2018 school year. With this hike, undergraduate programs would see program cost increases up to $270 per year, credential programs would see costs up to $312 and graduate programs would see hikes up to $438.
The proposal will be discussed at the Board of Trustees meeting Nov. 15-16 at the CSU Office of the Chancellor in Downtown Long Beach. Following the November meeting, the proposal will be voted on during the January
In response, student advocates chalked the walkways running through the Liberal Arts buildings in protest, writing phrases such as “no more tuition!” and also hanging a sign on the Prospector Pete statue reading: “Abolish student debt now!”
In a document released by the Office of the Chancellor going into further detail about the potential increase, the proposal is in anticipation of the CSU encountering a lack of funds through the state government-allocated yearly budget. According to the document, research revealed that “priority areas” in the CSU would require an estimated $346 million in new revenue — however, the CSU expects a government allocation of $157.2 million, which would leave a $168.8 million funding gap.