en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:11:04 GMT 15 By Melody Saadian
High school students have more to deal with than a competitive application process during senior year. After all, the price of college has become more of an issue than ever before. University of California officials stated that a 9.3% increase in the annual undergraduate and graduate student tuition is expected. More specifically, with a $662 undergraduate increase, the average annual tuition would be $8,720 excluding books, room, and board for undergraduates, and about $25,000 for graduates. UC students complain that in the last decade the costs doubled because in 1979 the average annual fees were just $736. These changes will prove to be unfortunate, but universities are probably unhappy as well. Having to charge more is an obligation during recessions, not a desire. However, before taking any kind of drastic measures like raising tuition, the UCs should raise the prices for room and board or even increase parking fees. Fewer people would be affected by these hikes in cost. In addition, research has shown that 59% of UC students are graduating in four years, which is a 36% increase from the early 1990s. However, should the 9.3% hike occur, you should expect that percentage to decrease. More students will succumb to community college advertisements like those of Santa Monica College, which costs a mere $20 per unit. The UCs might face a significantly worse financial situation if they begin to raise fees. Many prospective applicants will attend elsewhere and destroy the shining reputation the UCs have acquired. Worse, fees may cause a considerable drop in students attending college at all. UC President Mark Yudof claims that most will not feel the increase due to Obama’s stimulus package. However, this assumption is mistaken because the stimulus package does not aid everyone in the US. Besides, raising cost is raising cost no matter how you justify it. ]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:00:39 GMT