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Student Fees

Overview

Student Fees

CFA has a long standing position of opposing student fee increases because fee hikes hurt access to higher education.

Magazine Article

Today’s CSU students are taking on new, difficult challenges to preserve public higher education for all

They continue a long history of student activism with new awareness of ‘intersectionality’ across the range of people’s expanding identities and social justice issues.

By Juliana Nascimento
CFA Southern California Student Intern Coordinator

Students and young people have been on the front lines of some of the
largest and most important struggles and movements in modern history.

Magazine Article

CSU student financial aid
MYTHS & FACTS

Last March, on a rare split vote preceded by lengthy debate as students protested and faculty testified that it was a bad idea, the CSU Trustees decided to increase Fall 2017 student tuition by 5%. It brings statewide CSU undergraduate tuition to $5,742 a year.

The CSU administration says tuition hikes don’t hurt financially strapped students. That is not true. It is one of many myths about tuition and financial aid.

Here are some examples.

Magazine Article

Q&A: The impact of tuition on students

California Faculty magazine spoke with Margarita Berta-Ávila about tuition
increases and the impact on students. Berta-Ávila teaches in the Teaching
Credentials program in the College of Education at CSU Sacramento. She
is president of the California Faculty Association Capitol Chapter.

Q: Why should the CSU faculty oppose student tuition increases?

Headline

More about the CSU Trustees meeting, Sept. 19-20

The CSU Board of Trustees’ meeting of September 19-20 wrapped up this morning. Here are some of the topics that were presented, considered, or adopted.

HELP FOR IMMIGRANT STUDENTS & FACULTY ON CAMPUS: CFA Associate Vice President Molly Talcott (CSU Los Angeles) addressed the Trustees plenary about more steps the CSU can take. Noting the Chancellor’s declaration of support, she said, “We have suggestions for what else the CSU can do.” She called for Dreamers Resource Centers on all CSU campuses that are connected with teaching, research, and internships on those campuses; research on how our undocumented students are doing in this crisis; and a task force to determine what more the CSU can do.

Headline

In Other News…

DACA-SCHOLARS RENEWAL DEADLINE, OCT. 5: DACA recipients whose waivers expire no later than October 5 (in two weeks) can apply for a renewal. Assistance to pay the $495 fee is available. Find links to resources for undocumented students, faculty and staff, and for those who wish to help, at Immigration & the CSU. Download and print a “Know Your Rights” card, get links to FAQs, and more.

LET STUDENTS KNOW ABOUT THE SQE “AFFORDABILITY STUDY”: Students for Quality Education is surveying CSU students about their experience with the affordability of the CSU. SQE hopes the data collected will advance “a free higher education plan that speaks to the needs of our student body.” The link to share is www.csusqe.org/survey

VOTE BY OCT. 2 IN CalPERS ELECTION: CFA has joined other labor unions in endorsing David Miller and Michael Bilbrey for seats on the CalPERS Board of Administration in the election underway now through Oct. 2. They are committed to protecting our pensions and keeping CalPERS strong. Click here to learn more and find voting instructions.

Headline

CFA to Trustees: Protect our students, fight for more funding!

CFA leaders didn’t mince any words this week, telling the CSU Board of Trustees that they failed the university system by not fighting harder for funding for the 2017-18 year and not doing more to protect undocumented students.

Headline

Faculty, students serenade Gov. Brown at Capitol; sing the CSU needs $325 million

CFA officers and activists, along with students and community allies, sang a message to Gov. Jerry Brown following his news conference announcing the May Revise plan for the 2017-18 State Budget.

Headline

Governor’s ‘May Revise’ would reduce his prior plan to fund the CSU

Unfortunately, the governor calculated that the Trustees’ tuition increase justifies reducing his state funding plan for the CSU.

Headline

Stopgap Federal budget preserves higher ed spending

The emergency federal spending bill adopted by the U.S. Congress appears to preserve federal spending, with small expansions, for higher education.  The bill keeps the federal government going into September of this year.

According to several news sources, notable elements of the measure include small increases in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Headline

Tuition freeze legislation needs your support

While lawmakers continue to discuss funding for the CSU in the coming days and weeks, now more than ever, is the time to let them know that you support a bill that could preserve the system’s affordability and accessibility.

AB 393, authored by Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva, would freeze tuition and mandatory system-wide fees in the CSU and California Community Colleges through the 2019-20 academic year.

Headline

Assembly Higher Ed Committee supports tuition and fee moratorium bill, 11-0

A strong message was sent by the unanimous, bi-partisan 11-0 vote of the Assembly Higher Education Committee on Tuesday. The vote send AB 393: The Student Protection Act to the Appropriations Committee, the next step in putting a CSU student tuition freeze into law.

Headline

Trustees choice to raise CSU tuition generates strong response

California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon is one of the hundreds of Californians—students, faculty, and organizations—who have posted video and photos on social media of themselves speaking out against the CSU Trustees decision last week to increase CSU students’ tuition.

• See the action in the CFA Photo Gallery

Headline

What happens next to CSU funding and the tuition hike?

The Trustees decision to raise tuition has a caveat—if the state legislature and the governor agree to provide the CSU all the funding the Trustees have requested of them, the Trustees will recind the tuition hike.

Headline

Who are the CSU Trustees?

The Trustees’ vote on renewing CSU tuition increases was unusually close—11 yes and 8 no. In large part, the close vote happened because students, in particular, have worked hard to speak with the Trustees individually trying to change their minds.

So, who are the CSU Trustees who voted on this choice?

Headline

Faculty explain why they are taking a stand against tuition hikes in our public university

Last week at the Trustees meeting, in public hearings at the State Capitol, and during rallies on campuses all over the state, faculty members have been explaining why they oppose tuition increases.

Headline

Trustees approve tuition increase despite fierce protests, opposition

Amid boisterous student protests and stern warnings from elected officials not to raise student tuition, CSU Trustees ignored the pleas to maintain accessibility to the People’s University and approved the fee increase.

News Release

CFA on vote by California State University Trustees to raise system-wide tuition next academic year
Statement from CFA

The following statement may be attributed to Dr. Jennifer Eagan, President of the California Faculty Association, and a professor at California State University East Bay.

We are deeply disappointed that the California State University Board of Trustees has chosen to solve our university system’s funding problems by reaching deeper into the pockets of our students and their families.

Headline

Faculty, students to Trustees: Support legislation that would help, not harm

MARCH 2017—While the big decision over whether to increase student tuition loomed over the second day of the CSU Trustees meeting in Long Beach, faculty and students on Tuesday spoke about the need to support key legislation to members of the Committee on Governmental Relations.

Specifically, faculty and students urged Trustees to support AB 393, AB 1464, and AB 21. The bills are sponsored by CFA.

Headline

Myth: There’s plenty of financial aid

One of the most often repeated phrases we hear from those trying to defend the proposal to raise student fees is that “there’s plenty of financial aid.”

They couldn’t be more wrong.

Here’s the truth.

Fact: The cost of a college degree is much more than tuition. Cost of attendance also is books and supplies, room and board, transportation, and personal expenses (no, not dry-cleaning). 

Headline

Students, faculty plan to protest fee hikes next week at Board of Trustees

Students throughout the CSU are gearing up for action next week, when they’ll urge CSU Trustees to vote down a proposed tuition increase.

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