A California State University Board of Trustees committee Tuesday approved a 12 percent tuition hike for undergraduate students, a move officials said was prompted by a steep cut in state funding.
The board's Finance Committee -- which includes a majority of the members of the full Board of Trustees -- approved the fee hike during the trustees' two-day meeting in Long Beach. The full board is scheduled to approve the tuition hike later today.
"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,'' Chancellor Charles B. Reed said. "We will focus on serving our current students by offering as many classes and course sections as possible.
"We will also be able to open enrollment for the spring 2012 term, which is critical for our community college transfer students,'' he said.
The 12 percent hike will add $294 to the one-semester cost of attending a CSU school, beginning in the fall. The increase means a full-time undergrad will pay $5,472 per year, with campus fees expected to bring the total cost to about $6,422.
According to CSU financial officials, the recently adopted state budget cut funding to the university system by another $150 million, on top of an earlier $500 million reduction. The financial officials also noted that the university system could face another $100 million cut in December if state revenues fall short of the projections included in the budget.
