UC President Proposes 8% Fee Increase

University of California President Mark Yudof has proposed an 8 percent student fee increase, among other hikes, to close the state school system's massive budget shortfall.

The Daily Californian has more:

If approved by the UC Board of Regents, Yudof's proposal would raise the UC system's educational fee by $828 to $11,124 - more than twice what the fee was in 2003 - as well as the student services fee by $72 to a total of $972.

Along with the increases, Yudof has proposed an extension of the university's financial aid plan so students from families making less than $80,000 will have all fees paid for them by the UC, while students from families making under $120,000 will be shielded from the increase for the first year. Many students pursuing professional degrees will face fee increases as well.

In an open letter to California published on the Huffington Post, Yudof wrote that the school system has made "solid progress" in balancing its budget:

..we are, for instance, embarked on a campaign to wring $500 million out of administrative expenses by initiating a series of practical but long overdue efficiency measures. This is money that will be put toward our core mission of serving students. We also have been gaining political allies in Sacramento, where the latest State budget did not deliver all that we sought, but at least restored one-half of the cuts made in the prior year.

According to the San Jose Mercury News, state support for the UC system has dropped 10 percent since 2007-2008.