Students fight UC tuition hike plan

University of California regents — facing an uncertain financial outlook amid Trump administration cuts, a significant reduction in state funding and growing inflation — will vote this week on whether to increase tuition and put aside a smaller portion of that money for financial aid.

- BY JAWEED KALEEM

AL SEIB For The Times A STUDENT rally is planned Wednesday at UCLA as regents meet to vote on whether to increase tuition.

The highly anticipated vote Wednesday has generated intense opposition from students. Student government leaders from all nine undergraduate campuses plan to rally outside the regents’ meeting at UCLA to oppose the hikes and intend to make a long-shot plea for no increases.

“Rally against the UC! Stop tuition hikes. Debt is not a rite of passage,” reads a social media post from the UC Student Assn., which represents 236,000 undergraduates from Davis to San Diego.

UC leaders say the proposal renews an existing policy assuring “tuition stability” for entering students, locking in their tuition rate for up to six years of study while generating enough money to sustain the system during financially unstable times.

Supporters say the policy benefits cash-strapped students, ensures continued financial aid and allows parents to plan long term for education costs.

The original program, which was passed four years ago and expires next year, also faced strong opposition. But UC says that it has resulted in lower tuition rates compared with tying costs strictly to inflation.

Leaders say growing enrollment coupled with financial strains — UC recently requested a $130-million, zero-interest loan from the state to make up for lost state funds — made the annual increases more urgent.

Instructional spending per student has decreased when compared with levels 20 years ago, UC said. The student-to-faculty ratio has worsened. Staff support for students and faculty has not kept up with enrollment, and salaries for tenure-track faculty lag behind university goals. In addition, campuses are grappling with backlogs of deferred maintenance.