As students enter their third week of school, many are left wondering whether they will be facing a tuition increase in the fall and, if so, how much. But it looks as if they may not get a clear answer until May. A possible tuition increase was the primary topic of discussion during the CSU board of trustees meeting at the Office of the Chancellor last Tuesday and Wednesday. 

The proposed increase would be $228 for undergraduates, $264 for credietal, and $432 for graduates. This comes after the CSU system requested an expansion in its budget of $282.9 million from the state, but was only granted $92.1 million by Gov. Jerry Brown. Students and staff have looked for answers, and after this last meeting there is finally a bit more clarity. CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White said the budget proposal was “both concerning and surprising.” White said that investing in the CSU “is warranted and necessary” and it will “take every opportunity to reinforce to the governor, Department of Finance and Legislature that additional investment in the California State University is an investment in California’s future.” Officials have pushed back the date for an official decision on the increase from March 21 to May, as explained in an email sent by White after the Board of Trustees  meeting.

The head of the Cal State Student Association Maggie White, have fought this funding battle and is very adamant on keeping it in the public eye. White said she wants to avoid any kind of tuition increase because she knows the negative impact this will have on certain students. “If more money is secured from the state for the year ahead, the need for a tuition increase will be negated,” said White. “The reason that the budget request from the CSU is so high this year is because costs for things like health care and retirement are increasing, and the system is also attempting to add more faculty, classes, and support services to each campus as part of its Graduation Initiative 2025.” The Graduation Initiative is helping graduation rates and how fast students can get out of the CSU system. 

It aims to increase the six-year graduation rate from 46 percent to 60 percent. If the tuition increase goes into effect, this initiative will become less of a possibility. 

“It is definitely not a sure thing that the tuition increase will pass, though,” said White “and there is a lot that stakeholders and people concerned about the possible tuition increase can do before this is brought to the CSU Board of Trustees for a vote.”

She encouraged students to contact their legislators  to encourage them “to prioritize higher education and fully fund the CSU this year.” 

“We are making gains on adding more professors, more advisors and courses, while keeping costs for students and the state of California low,” White said during the trustees meeting. “We are essentially trying to walk up a down escalator. Even with the remarkable improvements in efficiency and cost reduction, we can’t progress to meet California’s needs and our students’ expectations of us. Chancellor White spoke very passionately about this topic during the meeting and goes on to state,

“ During the last five years, we have kept focus on an affordable college degree, with tuition only rising by 4.9 percent while creating access for an additional 35,000 for Pell Grant recipients, and two-thirds of our students do not pay tuition after financial aid,” White said. “The simple truth is that someone always pays; it’s who pays is what changed over time.” 

With this increase luming, there still seems to be so many unanswered questions surrounding it. Tuition is already very expensive for many and this could end up having devastating effects on the student’s futures.