University of California Education Too Expensive for Most Students

The financial support from the State of California has been on a decline for past 25 years, making the cost of higher education a whole lot more expensive than what most California residents can afford. For example, currently the cost of pursuing a University of California undergraduate degree is in the vicinity of approximately $100,000. No wonder most California residents feel their sons and daughters are being priced out of pursuing a college degree at UC.

The state funding for public universities has constantly on a decline -it was about 50% 25 years ago, but now it is barely 27 percent. This kind of erosion of state investment in higher education in California is bound to have a devastating impact -especially in light of the fact that annual fees for full time students have been increased by more than 29% during the last three years alone.

According to UC estimates, one year of study at UC Berkeley for an in-state undergraduate student (living on campus) now costs over $23,000. The total cost of a four-year undergraduate degree now adds up to well over $92,000. However, considering that most undergrad students take five years to graduate from their undergraduate degree programs, their actual cost of obtaining an undergraduate degree at CU usually exceeds $116,000.

Considering the House is going to be cutting nearly $15 dollars in federal funding for the education over the next five years, it does not look like things are heading in the right direction.

Isn't it about time we ask ourselves, and our lawmakers why are we pricing our own children out of higher education?