UC Board Of Regents Approves 5 Percent Tuition Hike

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The University of California's Board of Regents Thursday approved tuition hikes that will increase students' costs by as much as 5 percent a year over the next five years at UC campuses across the state.

The proposal was tentatively approved Wednesday at a meeting in San Francisco despite protests.

UC leaders argued tuition rates at their 10 campuses have been frozen for three years, but now more funding is needed for the educational system to move forward.

Administrators also stated that tuition hikes were necessary because the state legislature under-funds their operating costs.

The approval will bump tuition for the 2015-2016 school year by $612, to $12,804, according to officials. Out-of-state students would pay the same increased rate, plus the non-resident fee of $22,878, which would also increase by the same percentage, according to UC.

The move is expected to amount to $3,102 in additional expenses for students over the current $11,220 base tuition, according to documents posted to the regents' agenda.

The tuition hike was opposed by Gov. Jerry Brown.