Make UC affordable

By Davina Srioudom, Berkeley | 7/23/2021

Regarding “UC to consider raising tuition for the first time since 2017” (Bay Area, July 13): UC regents are attempting to address the UC’s budget deficits by voting on a cohort tuition model. Unlike one-time tuition hikes in the past, this proposal would indefinitely increase tuition rates for each incoming class of first-year and transfer students. This isn’t the first time the UC has raised tuition, but this proposal is by far the least equitable.

As a student at UC Berkeley, I was excited to pursue higher education.

Thanks to in-state tuition and financial aid, I can afford my education, but the same cannot be said for my classmates. I’ve seen firsthand how students have dealt with housing and food insecurity on top of their course load.

UC cannot rely on tuition hikes to fund our schools. By limiting our public university system to only those who can afford it, we’re erasing the diverse voices and perspectives that bring so much value to our campuses. It’s time we shift the burden away from students and pressure our state government to fully fund our public universities so that every student who wishes to attend a UC is able to.