« msn direct: why? | Main | lidsky on television--any networks left standing? »
21 May 2004
fee increases for u cal students
The Regents of the University of California voted to increase student fees in the coming years. Next year's increase for professional students (which includes law students like myself): at least 23%, with the possibility of an additional 10% increase at the Regents' discretion. Although next year will be my last at the law school, those following me will have the possibility of addition 10% increases each year.
The Daily Bruin provides an overview. From what we've been told, professional students can most afford the increases, but what that really means is that professional students should be willing and able to incur more debt, since most of the professional students don't have the means to pay their tuition and fees out-of-pocket. This is especially difficult for those students who had been making ends meet based solely on federal loans, which offer relatively low interest rates and are less strict in terms of credit requirements. Those students will likely have to turn to conventional lenders, some having to pay rates you'd normally associate with not-so-great credit card offers.
Budget cuts, increased class size, and other administrative issues are also likely to hurt UCal's recruitment of faculty. The system used to be considered (by some) a model of public higher education. Not sure how long that will last...