California's UC Plan: Cost, Impact, and Alternatives

0:00In 2022, California struck a deal with its top three University of California campuses, Berkeley, UCLA, and UC San Diego, to admit nine, 100 more in-state students each year. The state covers the lost revenue from fewer out-of-state students, who pay three times as much tuition. So far, that's cost taxpayers $276 million, and let around 3,000 extra Californians enroll. That figured dwarfs the $31 million per year, the Governor Gavin Newsom, and lawmakers usually quote, with just one year left in this five-year plan, the real tab has folks rethinking it, amid multi-billion-dollar state deficits. Lawmakers pushed this to drop out-of-state undergrads from over 20% to 18% at those campuses. It's now about 19%. Parents and students complained they couldn't get in, so the swap aimed to prioritize locals while the state foots the bill. Now, the legislative analyst office says,

1:00skip limiting out-of-state spots and just fund more residents directly, it had cost $25 million dollars a year, not $61 million. Those campuses added thousands of housing beds and have classroom space plus 6,000 more Californians enrolled anyway from other funding, boosts. As budget talks heat up by late June, the Governor wants to keep the program rolling, but pressures building for a cheaper path that keeps doors open. For everyone, without the full price tag, local news, powered by AI, this is California News Today. I'm Cory with the story.