California State University board of trustees formally approves tuition hike

Kaley Brown Soren
·2 min read

Editor’s Note: This article has been edited to include clarification on the vote.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The California State University board of trustees has formally passed a 6% increase in tuition over five years, beginning in fall 2024.

The motion was voted on at a board meeting in Long Beach on Wednesday, Sept. 13. The vote passed 15-5.

The CSU announced the tuition hike in a press release shortly after the board’s vote.

The California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees has approved a multi-year tuition proposal that will increase tuition by six percent per year for five years, and help to bring stability to the university’s budget. Under the approved proposal, full-time undergraduate tuition will increase by $342 per student beginning in the 2024-25 academic year. The tuition proposal will sunset at the end of 2028-29.

The California State University

This tuition increase proposal came after California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s multi-year compact, which according to the CSU, ensures a 5% increase to the university’s general fund appropriation for five years. But the university said “more funding is still needed for the CSU to continue advancing its educational mission and to do so through the 21st century.”

Many trustees at the meeting voiced support for the increase, including Trustee Jean Picker Firstenberg.

“We cannot survive unless we take action. No one wants to do this,” said Trustee Firstenberg in the meeting.

RELATED: Cal State Bakersfield students push back against CSU tuition increase proposal

The CSU states on its website that the tuition increase will help students in the following ways:

  • Provide the necessary resources for each university to further the CSU’s core values of equitable excellence and access.

  • Provide tuition stability and predictability for students and parents.

  • Enhance financial aid and affordability for those students with the greatest financial need.

However, many others, including Lieutenant Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, opposed the increase.

“A tuition increase will drastically affect the 184,000 CSU students who don’t receive full tuition coverage. This is unacceptable,” Kounalakis wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday. “I stand firm in my opposition towards a tuition increase and will continue to do everything I can to make a CSU accessible and affordable for ALL.”

According to data from CSU, the current tuition rate for an undergraduate student taking six units or more is over $5,700 per academic year. Now that the proposal is approved, that same rate will rise to over $7,600 by the 2028-2029 school year.

For more information on the tuition increase proposal, visit the CSU website.

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