Out-of-State Students Strain Under Burgeoning Fees
Alice Tzou covers higher education. Contact her at atzou@dailycal.orgWednesday, February 15, 2006
Category: News
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
pledged $75 million last month to stabilize
student fees for the first time
since 2001, winning
approval
from students,
the UC Board of
Regents and
administrators.
But not everyone was cheering.
The governor’s buy-out of student
fees excluded out-of-state undergraduates,
who for the eleventh year in a
row will see a rise in their fees.
With the university facing state
budget cuts coupled with a spurt in
enrollment, the cost of a UC education
has risen for all students in the last
decade.
But UC officials said that the university’s
role as an institution serving
California residents has led the university
to rely more heavily on out-ofstate
students as a source of revenue.
Out-of-state undergraduates made
up 7.6 percent of the total undergraduate
population at UC Berkeley last year.
“Our highest priority is to serve residents
of California,” said Susan Wilbur, UC director of undergraduate
admissions.
The cost disparity between in-state
and out-of-state students has ballooned
in recent years, with out-ofstate
student fees and tuition rising
110 percent since 1994, compared to a
71-percent rise for in-state students.
Today, a year of UC Berkeley education
for a non-resident undergraduate
costs $25,254, while residents pay
$7,434.
In comparison, a year at Stanford
University, which charges all its students
the same tuition, costs $29,847.
In addition, UC does not offer gift
or grant aid to out-of-state students,
although they are eligible to receive
federal financial aid, said Richard
Black, vice chancellor of enrollment
and admissions.
“It’s just way too much,” said senior
Brandon Gan, an international student
from Malaysia. “Private schools
and Ivy Leagues—at least they have
financial aid available. (Here) you pay
almost as much, but you’re not eligible
for anything—it’s ridiculous.”
But UC officials said that as a institution
funded by California taxpayer
dollars, the university must prioritize students coming from the state.
The policy is in line with other public
schools nationwide, who also charge
non-residents higher fees. This year,
the University of Michigan charged
full-term undergraduate non-residents
$18,388 more than residents.
“It’s not any different from any
other university,” said UC spokesperson
Ravi Poorsina. “The UC here is
first and foremost to serve the needs of California students.”
But some out-of-state students said
that paying for a UC college education
is becoming an increasingly unattractive
prospect.
Juliana Cho, an alumna from
Portland, Ore., shouldered the higher
out-of-state tuition for all four years of
college, including thousands in fee
increases.
To help cover the cost, she took out
loans and stayed in co-ops all four
years of college, forgoing the more expensive residence halls because she
“just didn’t feel that was feasible.”
“It makes sense that (UC) charges
more, especially since they’re a state
school, but I think the difference
between what they charge in state and
out of state is a little too much,” Cho said.
In hindsight, Cho said she might
have attended a local school that covered
her tuition instead.
“I’ve talked to graduate students,
(and) the fee they charge is driving
them to private universities,” she said.
Comments (0) »
Comment PolicyThe Daily Cal encourages readers to voice their opinions respectfully in regards to both the readers and writers of The Daily Californian. Comments are not pre-moderated, but may be removed if deemed to be in violation of this policy. Comments should remain on topic, concerning the article or blog post to which they are connected. Brevity is encouraged. Posting under a pseudonym is discouraged, but permitted. Click here to read the full comment policy.













Printer Friendly
Comments (








