LONG BEACH, Calif. (KERO) — Demonstrators held a rally outside of the California State University Chancellor's Office in Long Beach on Tues, July 11.
Protestors at the rally asked CSU leaders to better invest in students and staff. One of their demands is to turn down a proposal that would increase tuition by six percent annually for the next five years. This would raise tuition by $342 for the 2024 to 2025 school year, making tuition about $6,000 a year for full-time students.
"I don't get how we are going to pay for tuition if we can barely afford it now," said Anabell Rangel, a student at CSU Los Angeles. "This is going to be a huge financial burden. Most of us have to work two to three jobs. I have had to work three jobs."
The Chancellor's Office says there is a $1.5 billion funding gap between its revenues and costs.
The CSU system has two primary revenue sources: state funding and tuition. Leaders say they need more financial resources.
If the proposal is approved, tuition would go up to $7,682 by 2028. The state Lieutenant Governor called the five-year proposal increase "problematic."
A statement from the Chancellor's office said in part, "the CSU has been and will continue to be a careful and prudent steward of the resources entrusted to it."
The tuition increase proposal is set to be voted on at the September CSU Board of Trustees meeting.
