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Schools

UC Regents Meet Thursday to Consider Tuition Increase

A 9.6 percent tuition and fee increase is on the table, following an 8 percent increase already approved for the 2011-12 school year.

The tuition and fees in the University of California system may increase a second time for the 2011-12 school year, as the Board of Regents considers options this week to combat a $650 million funding cut from the state.

A 9.6 percent tuition and fee increase for undergraduates will be proposed at the UC Regents meeting, beginning Tuesday and ending on Thursday. This tuition increase would be in addition to an already approved 8 percent increase, and would cause annual tuition and fees for undergraduate California residents to rise to about $12,200.

It is not clear if the 9.6 percent tuition and fee increase would go into effect in the fall or be delayed until the spring semester of 2011-12. The increase would cover a quarter of the UC system's total budget shortfall of $1 billion, according to the UC Office of the President.

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"Our campuses and the UC Office of the President already have cut to the bone," said UC Vice President Patrick Lenz in a statement earlier this month describing a reduction in programs and employment coupled with increased class sizes.  

The UC budget may be reduced an additional $100 million if the projected state budget is overestimated, causing state support for the UC system to shrink further. Currently, the state pays $2.37 billion to the UC system.

Find out what's happening in Alamedawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

During the 2007−08 school year, the state paid $3.25 billion to the UC system, and undergraduate residents paid about $6,571 in tuition and fees. With declining state funding, a series of controversial tuition hikes began in the 2008-09 school year, boosting tuition and fees above $10,000 by fall 2010.

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