University of California student protest.
Enlarge Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo

Hundreds of students lay down to symbolize the "Death of Public Education," as they protest peacefully on the UCLA campus where University of California regents voted to raise student fees by 32 percent.

University of California student protest.
Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo

Hundreds of students lay down to symbolize the "Death of Public Education," as they protest peacefully on the UCLA campus where University of California regents voted to raise student fees by 32 percent.

Struggling to operate the nation's largest public university system as state lawmakers have failed to meet requested funding needs, the University of California Regents approved an overall 32 percent increase in fees that will be spread over the current and following academic years.

As they increased fees, the university system's overseers also set aside a third of the anticipated fee revenue for financial assistance.

University officials blamed state lawmakers for not fulfilling their obligations to properly fund the U of C system.

In a press release, U of C president Mark G. Yudof was quoted as saying:

"We can no longer tolerate fiscal uncertainty and continual cutting as we wait for Sacramento to navigate through this crisis," he said. "We will keep working hard with state political leaders to restore the university's funding to an appropriate level. In the meantime, however, we must act now to shore up our own finances if we are to preserve the quality and ensure the access that California expects from the world's premier public research university system.

"I know this is a painful day for university students and their families, but as I stand here today I can assure you this is our one best shot at preventing this recession from pulling down a great system toward mediocrity. In the long term, that would not be good for the students of today or tomorrow. And it would be devastating for California as a whole."

The U of C also explained how the increases will take effect:

The fee increases will be enacted in two stages: a mid-year fee increase for 2009-10, and fee increases for the 2010-11 academic year.

 

For California residents, the new fee levels include a mid-year fee increase in January 2010 of $585 or 15 percent for undergraduates and graduate professional degree students. The increase will be $111 or 2.6 percent for graduate academic degree students. For the 2010-11 academic year, fees will rise again by $1,334 or 15 percent for both resident undergraduates and graduate students starting in summer 2010.

The Regents also approved increases in professional degree fees for 2010-11 that range from $280 to $5,696.