CSU system announces multi-year tuition increase

A “multi-year sustainability plan,” which will increase tuition, was approved by the California State University Board of Trustees on Sept. 13, effective in the coming 2024 term, according to The California State University.

The plan will raise tuition for the CSU schools by 6% over the course of the next five years, the second tuition hike in 11 years, according to the Los Angeles Times. In doing so, the CSU system is aiming to “provide the necessary resources for each university to further the CSU’s core values, provide tuition stability and predictability for students and parents and enhance financial aidand affordability,” according to CSU website.

According to a CSU report, only 86% of their costs were covered by their revenue in the 2022-2023 school year. The sustainability plan is projected to raise $840 million, which will help to fill this budget gap, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“I would definitely say that this 6% increase is almost a ‘sneaky’ way to increase tuition prices,” student Eva Lefferdink (‘22), a student at Cal Poly San Luis Obisbo, said. “This was a discussion in one of my classes before, and the students who specifically pay tuition themselves were very upset after hearing this news and were frustrated.”

“I honestly understand the board of trustees’ reasoning behind the tuition increase,” San Diego State University student Nicole Gross (‘22) said. “However it really caught me and my family by surprise as we now have to navigate the burden of paying college this increased tuition moving forward.” With nearly half a million students enrolled in the CSU system, Gross certainly is not the only student that will feel this burden.

More specifically, increased funding would go toward improving existing university programs and infrastructure. With SDSU class sizes reaching around 100 students, Gross suggested that some of the funding should go towards creating a more comfortable and engaging learning environment consisting of smaller lecture sizes. She also mentioned the fact that SDSU could provide professors with the resources necessary to “better meet the needs of larger class sizes.”

According to Lefferdink, Cal Poly SLO’s dining halls, classrooms, housing facilities and library could also use more attention.

Aside from campus improvements, faculty members throughout the CSU system went on strike for better pay in early December, according to the Los Angeles Times. The union was demanding a 12% increase for the 2023- 2024 school year.

According to CSU, one of the priorities for increased tuition includes “compensation to attract and retain outstanding faculty and staff.”

After the July Board of Trustees meeting, members came to the conclusion that in response to feedback that the wage and tuition increases would be reassessed in five years.