Another hit to students

Earning a degree from a California State University got even more expensive this week.

The continually rising fees increased by 12 percent on Tuesday (July 12), after a 12-2 vote of the CSU’s Board of Trustees. That jump is in addition to the previous approval of a 10 percent jump scheduled to go into effect this coming fall.

“The enormous reduction to our state funding has left us with no other choice if we are to maintain quality and access to the CSU,” said Chancellor Charles B. Reed, in a press release.

Students in the 23-campus system will now pay $5,472 a year. That figure does not factor in the campus-based fees students are required to pay. Locally, according to Chico State spokeswoman Kathleen McPartland, the total cost for full-time undergraduates will translate to $6,882 per year.

The system-wide increase compensates for the $150 million decrease in state funding to the CSU, as outlined in Gov. Jerry Brown’s final budget. That loss is on top of the $500 million that was slashed from the system’s budget back in January.