Nearly Free College Education?

By Converge Staff

on November 13, 2009

In 1960, California's Master Plan for Higher Education was prepared “to establish a coordinated system of colleges and universities, with the goal of steering students appropriately toward the University of California, California State University or community college largely free of charge,” The San Francisco Chronicle reports. But 50 years later, that grand and noble plan is far from reality.

A report released yesterday by the California Office of the Legislative Analyst notes that for almost 50 years, this plan has been largely ignored. The report also states that today’s higher education system -- of enrollment gaps, constantly rising student fees and ever-shrinking budgets -- is so off base from the Master Plan, that something must be done to level the situation.

At CSU Long Beach, for example, year fees were raised by 20 percent to $4,026; and next week, UC fees are expected to increase by 32 percent. This would take yearly fees at any UC campus over the $10,000 mark.

In the report, state lawmakers are not faulted for the unruly economy, but the report does note that lawmakers have not set policies to avoid the situation in which the higher education system currently finds itself. Lawmakers have not “guided colleges and universities through turbulent times,” as the Master Plan requires.

With no new policy on how much students should pay for their education, the report states that "fee levels have been unpredictable and volatile, with little alignment to the cost of instruction or to students' ability to pay."

To read the full story, visit The San Francisco Chronicle.

For the full report from the Office of the Legislative Analyst, visit The Master Plan at 50: Assessing California’s Vision for Higher Education.

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Nearly Free College Education?

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