CSUN University News Clippings

Higher fees would help community colleges, analyst says

(June 15, 2009)

By Matt Krupnick
Published: 6/13/09

Higher community college fees would hurt virtually nobody while helping the schools survive budget cuts, California’s legislative analyst said last week.

The two-year colleges have the nation’s lowest fees at $20 per unit, or $600 per year for the average full-time student. In a brief, the Legislative Analyst’s Office said fees could rise as much as 300 percent without causing much harm.

About one-third of community-college students pay no fees at all because of waivers for low-income families, the analyst said, and new federal tax credits would virtually eliminate fee hikes for other students.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed cuts of nearly $700 million for the 110-college system, which enrolls more than 2.7 million students. Keeping fees at their current levels could lead to costly cutbacks, the analyst said.

Legislators and some educators have been reluctant to raise fees, noting that past increases have led to immediate enrollment declines.

Publication: Contra Costa Times