California State University is considering raising tuition for undergraduates by hundreds of dollars per student in an attempt to address its $1.5 billion budget shortfall.
The 23-campus system’s massive funding gap came to light in a May report to the Board of Trustees. The analysis found that revenue from tuition and state support only covers 86% of the university’s total costs.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the proposal would increase tuition by somewhere between $174 and $462 for the 2024-25 school year, with more increases on the horizon each year.
University officials say the modest increase will keep education affordable. CSU’s current $5,742 annual undergrad tuition is among the lowest in the country, and financial aid would still cover full tuition for about 60% of students under the new proposal.
But the tuition bump could still hurt some of the school’s already-struggling students, nearly half of whom are Pell Grant recipients.
The proposed tuition increases are projected to raise $333 million to $782 million by 2028-29, according to the LA Times – which still isn’t nearly enough to close the funding gap.
The May budget report found that “even with aggressive assumptions about increases in state General Fund and tuition,” the university won’t close the gap by 2030 without finding other sources of revenue.
The Board of Trustees is expected to vote on the proposal this fall.
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