CSU Considering Large Fee Hikes Regardless of November Tax Initiative

California voters will have a chance in November to vote for Proposition 30, which is predicted to bring in more than $7 billion to temporarily bail the state out of its now perennial budget deficits. Governor Jerry Brown has threatened extreme austerity measures should the bill fail in November, including large across the board cuts to K-12 and higher education. This would trigger an automatic $250-million cut to the California State University system (CSU) system, leading to a 5% tuition hike for in-state students, plus a 7% increase in supplemental fees for out of state students.

Yet, even if the bill passes, the CSU system will not be able to close its budget gap. Consequently, the governing board for CSU is considering numerous fee increases that would go into place even if Prop. 30 does pass. These would include a per unit supplement of $372 for seniors who have already accumulated 150 semester units, the Los Angeles Times reports, as well as a $100 per unit fee for students who want to repeat a class. Official estimates suggest that roughly 40,000 class spots are filled with students who are repeating classes. They also want to add a $200 per unit fee for any units over the usual 16 per semester. This is intended to discourage students from enrolling in large numbers of classes and then dropping them later.