Commentary

College in California: Still a Bargain

The big news today is that both California State University and the University of California will raise tuition fees. From the Sacramento Bee: The cost of a university degree for the more than 500,000 undergraduate students at the state’s public universities went up Wednesday. Fees will increase 10 percent this fall for students in the California State University system, rising to nearly $3,800 a year for undergraduate students. On University of California campuses, fees will climb 7.4 percent, bringing resident undergraduate fees to more than $8,000 a year. The Sacramento Bee notes that “Student fees in California remain among the lowest in the country compared with similar universities.” Rather be here than anywhere: according to the College Board : The average college tuition for 2007-2008 Private four-year $23,712 Public four-year $6,185 Cal. State is really a bargain at $3,800 and so is the UC system at $8,000 bucks–especially considering the prestige of UC schools.