State’s students shouldn’t be left behind in UCs


It’s no secret that the University of California school system is struggling financially. The impact of the recession on education has been so thoroughly canvassed that “UC” and “budget cuts” go conversationally hand-in-hand. In the latest turn of events, UC regents are voting on whether or not undergraduate fees should be raised 8 percent.

To counter the educational belt-tightening, UC schools everywhere, including those that are located in international offices or online, are now focusing their energies on enrolling a higher percentage of out-of-state students.

This is an unprecedented move — one that has left many prospective in-state students with the sense that their own renowned educational system has abandoned them.

The decision is not completely unjustified. Out-of-state students bring in sizeable commissions that enable schools to keep key courses open and help students graduate on time. At UC Berkeley, for example, out-of-state students pay on average $11,439.50 more per semester than do in-state students.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that in-state applicants are being reviewed more critically than are out-of-staters. Many UC schools are insisting that they will be able to boost their number of out-of-state students without cutting the number of local applicants they accept.

Even if that proves true, this initiative still means that the concentration of recruiting resources and UC representatives will lie outside California. In-state applicants are bound to suffer in some way from a system that is not focused on encouraging them to enroll.

We haven’t yet found the solution to affordable education. But there are no long-term advantages to the prioritization of out-of-state students. It’s merely a quick-fix. And it’s unfortunate that when selecting a quick-fix, the UC school system chose one that neglects its local students in favor of raising a few extra dollars.

Ultimately, the public education system is there to serve the students, regardless of where they hail from. The solution to funding problems that affect those students should be one that considers them all equally.

6 replies
  1. Christopher Ganiere
    Christopher Ganiere says:

    As a native Californian I think it is time to end in-state tuition. The value, diversity, means that we need to treat all applicants to our schools equally. To subsidize, with tax dollars, one student over another because of where they live is quaint.

    If the UC system is so great, then there is no price too high to pay for admission. Look at the prices that parents will pay to get their children out of bad schools. Observe the long lines parents stand in and waiting lists they places their children on for charter schools and scholarships for primary education.

    Either the UC schools offer value for the money or they don’t; in which case the taxpayers should not pay for low quality.

  2. I could give a _ _ _ _
    I could give a _ _ _ _ says:

    Owwwwhhh, how’s that song go? “We are the wooorld, we are the chil…”

    If SC turns soft and left, I will not give another godammn dime in donations! The “prestige” and recent surpassing of Westwood Progressive Left aka ucla was heavily contigent on donations; research the criteria for why a university rises in ranks.

    The contemporaneous students here, at exorbitant, University of Senses Coddled drank a little too much Kool Aid. Should SC go back to “right & white, Nixon-Republican” stupid? I’d rather act on what works, than give a _ _ _ _ about what Socialists claim is right for society.

    Why do you want to empower that cesspool aka the UC system? Which side are you on boy/girl? Where’s the killer instinct?

    SC is going down the drain…truth.

    • Marc
      Marc says:

      “I could give a…” you’re a moron. Hope you’re not an alumnus. I’d be embarrassed to have you in the family.

      • I could give a Marc
        I could give a Marc says:

        Sure boy, whatevers! The UC system fell on its face because its administration was and still is myopic. They’re negligent, corrupt, and finally, their hands were caught on the cookie jar. If you’re a CA taxpayer, or mommy and daddy are, you’re gonna pay for their fiasco.The faculty there demand higher-than-average annual salary for jobs they don’t do; it’s analogous to government work. The professors at the UC systems don’t teach; they let the TAs do all the legwork, and supposedly delve into esoteric research, “UCLA researchers discover that fast food contributes to obesity” LOL!

Comments are closed.