º£½ÇÉçÇø

Nov. 15, 2023 

Dear Students and Colleagues,

As many of us know, the in September to raise tuition by 6% each year for the next five years to partially fill a $1.5 billion funding gap in the º£½ÇÉçÇø. Topping out at an additional $1,940 in tuition per year by 2028-29, the $860 million ultimately generated by this decision will still leave the system $640 million short – a reality that will require additional state support and/or significant budget reductions to balance. Stating the obvious, the º£½ÇÉçÇø is in difficult financial times.

Context for this vote is relevant here. The º£½ÇÉçÇø raised tuition only once in the last 11 years, when a 5% increase ($270) was instituted in 2017. The problem is that inflation, up 39% since 2017, has outstripped the º£½ÇÉçÇø’s ability to keep pace with available revenues. These funds, coming primarily from the state legislature and from student tuition, pay for salaries and operations across our 23 campuses.

I understand that increased tuition is not a welcome development for any student. The annual cost of attendance, including fees, will be about $8,200 per year by 2028-29, which is a sea change in state-level support for higher education since the time of , when cost of attendance per student was almost completely borne as an investment in the future by the State of California.

A silver lining, however unsatisfying it may be, is that $8,200 in tuition and fees by 2028-29 is still less than the national average for public universities in the U.S., which, according to the , was $9,700 in 2021-22. That figure, up from $9,100 in 2010-11, is likely to be over $10,000 by 2028-29. It is worth noting here that the total cost of tuition and fees at º£½ÇÉçÇøCI is the second lowest in the º£½ÇÉçÇø, with º£½ÇÉçÇø Los Angeles being only slightly lower.

Nonetheless, tuition increases create additional burdens for students – some more than others, and it is important for us to understand this at the system and campus level. As part of the º£½ÇÉçÇø’s comprehensive study, it highlighted that of the º£½ÇÉçÇø’s 460,000 undergraduates, 60% of students ​have their full tuition covered by non-loan financial aid and these students will be entirely unaffected by the increase because their financial aid will be adjusted to cover any additional cost. 18% of undergraduate students, who make up the next highest financial need after the 60% student group, have had tuition at least partially covered through various sources of non-loan aid. The next 4% of undergraduates, those with the lowest financial need, received loans. The remaining 18% did not apply for financial aid, though it is possible some of these students would have qualified for aid if they had applied.​

All of these are important groups of students for the º£½ÇÉçÇø and º£½ÇÉçÇøCI. Outreach to current and prospective students and their families about access to and opportunities related to financial aid and scholarships is critical to student success.

I want to thank our Student Government leaders for directly communicating their concerns about tuition increases over several meetings with me. I appreciate and admire their skills in communicating those concerns, critically and constructively, pressing me and other campus leaders to communicate strategies that we can undertake at º£½ÇÉçÇøCI to reduce the impact on current and future students. Toward these ends, I highlight the following elements of º£½ÇÉçÇøCI’s plan to address impacts of the º£½ÇÉçÇø tuition increases:

• Financial Aid & Scholarships: I have approved a proposal to study scholarship distribution processes as part of º£½ÇÉçÇøCI’s President’s Operational Effectiveness Challenge of Fall 2023. We have successfully encouraged the funding of scholarships with philanthropic donors (e.g., Green Family Foundation renewable, full-tuition scholarships) for students whose demonstration of academic excellence includes attending to the obligations that many first-generation, family-obligated, Pell-eligible students face. We have also increased staffing within the Financial Aid & Scholarships office and have dedicated a position to provide outreach and presentations for current students and campus stakeholders as well as in the community to prospective students and families regarding access to financial support. In addition, the Financial Aid & Scholarships office has contracted with Blue Icon, a partner with the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, to proactively evaluate the impact of using the new student aid index to determine aid for the 2024-2025 academic year for our students, including Pell eligibility.  This is particularly important because Pell Grants can support all educational expenses beyond just tuition.
• Administrative barriers: Continued focus on administrative barriers to student success remains among my top priorities. We have made strides toward ensuring that our disenrollment policy and practices are clearly and sensitively communicated, and we continue to do our utmost to work with individual students after-the-fact of disenrollment to navigate reinstatement. We recently contracted Best Practice Solutions (BPS) for the 2023-24 academic year to partner with Enrollment Management & Marketing on desired outcomes that include an organizational structure, resources, and staffing needed to enhance operations – specifically including recruitment strategies and student experience efforts.
• Communication: We are developing an awareness, educational, and support campaign for current and perspective students focused on tuition increases, financial aid resources, and upcoming changes to the aid process that will impact every º£½ÇÉçÇø campus. This will be implemented in the early part of the Spring 2024 semester and will provide students with more detailed information and support, especially as it relates to the new FAFSA and CADAA guidelines taking effect for the 2024-25 academic year.
• Basic Needs: We are building out our Dolphin Food Pantry, utilizing state support to ensure continuing access for students whose food insecurity impacts their time to degree. Our Emergency Funds Grant and Emergency Housing program is also available to students.

I appreciate the voices raised in opposition to increasing tuition, and I deeply value student activism that is as constructive as it is critical. With the challenges facing the world in general and our campus in particular, we must all be so engaged. Toward this goal, for any members of our campus community who have not yet done so, I encourage study of the º£½ÇÉçÇø Sustainable Financial Model Workgroup findings.

I will ensure transparency in communication and processes as we implement this new mandate in the coming years and will welcome opportunities to discuss it accordingly.

Sincerely,
Richard Yao, Ph.D.
President