CSU to Impose ‘Success Fees’
CINDY LUO
REBECCA ZENG
Staff Writers
Besides regular annual tuition and other campus-based enrollment fees, thousands of undergraduate California State University (CSU) students are facing an extra charge for higher education in the form of student “success fees.”
According to the Southern California Public Radio (SCPR), since 2011, CSUs have started to rely on students to help pay for more academic resources and support services, which state funding can no longer cover due to years of deep educational budget cuts. The CSU Chancellor’s Office has approved 10 Cal State Universities, including campuses in Los Angeles and San Diego (SDSU), to ask students to pay mandatory success fees each semester on top of their tuition so far, which are used to provide more course sections and recreational opportunities.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the annual tuition for all Cal State universities is $5,472 without additional costs.. For SDSU and other new schools that have just started implementing success fees, the fees will be phased in over a period of four years. According to the school’s website, the success fee will start in the fall of 2014 at $50 per semester and increase by $50 per semester for a total fee of $200 per semester by the 2017-2018 academic year.
However, students have already been protesting such fees at Cal State campuses, questioning if it is just an attempt to indirectly increase tuition.
“I think success fees should be included in the tuition, not counted as a separate fee,” senior Marilynn Bach said.
On the other hand, some students view the fees as necessary payments and a guarantee of quality education.
“I believe the success fees are necessary because they help pay for programs that will benefit the students,” senior Jeffrey Le said.
Other than imposing mandatory “success fees,” the California State Student Association (CSSA) has proposed a statewide voluntary payment that costs $2 per semester per student called the Student Involvement and Representation Fee.
In any case, though at the cost of more payments, administrators were trying to maintain the funding for public education, according to SCPR.
“This is about student investment and enhancing the student experience,” president of the CSSA Sarah Couch said, according to the Los Angeles Times.