A planned 5 percent tuition hike at the University of California will be delayed until at least after the summer session, UC President Janet Napolitano announced today.
During a speech at USC, Napolitano said the increase was being pushed off while the Legislature continues working on the state budget — a hint that she is hopeful the state will provide the university system with more funding to alleviate the need for the tuition bump.
In November, the UC Board of Regents approved a plan to raise tuition by up to 5 percent a year over the next five years, adding roughly $15,000 to students’ costs by 2019. University officials said the hike was needed to offset higher pension and salary costs.
Napolitano pushed for the tuition hike, despite opposition from Gov. Jerry Brown.
Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, hailed Napolitano’s decision to delay the hike.
“With the Assembly beginning our top-to-bottom review of UC’s budget today, I am sure we will be able to identify savings, as well as increased state funding, that will help ensure UC remains a world-class treasure,” Atkins said. “The Assembly is also committed to capping enrollment for out-of- state students and charging those students a reasonable higher rate to ensure a UC education remains available and affordable for the California students it was built to serve.”
