SAN FRANCISCO — California State University’s governing board Wednesday approved the first tuition increase in six years for the system’s 23 campuses, drawing chants of opposition from students who said they’re already struggling to afford the cost of education.
The board of trustees voted 11-8, approving a proposal that will increase undergraduate tuition by $270 for the 2017-18 school year.
Current tuition is $5,472 a year.
Chancellor Timothy White had urged the trustees to approve the increase, saying the nation’s largest public university system needs to hire more faculty and add more classes to accommodate growing enrollment and insufficient state funding.
“I don’t bring this forward with an ounce of joy, I bring it out of necessity,” White told the board, which held its meeting at his office in Long Beach.
The increase will generate $77.5 million in net revenue and go toward hiring 400 new faculty, add 3,000 course sections and expand academic and student support services, said CSU spokeswoman Toni Molle.
Several students spoke emotionally against the increase before the vote, saying that $270 might not seem like much but it was significant to students struggling as they worked to support themselves and paid additional costs for housing, food and books.
“Many of my peers have to work two or three jobs to get by,” Alejandro Alfaro, a student at CSU Chico told the trustees, during a public comment session. “Students like myself cannot afford another tuition increase.”
