University tuition rising amid policy changes
Samo seniors, alongside their peers at other Californian high schools, face major changes in in-state higher education as the Cal State system’s budget deficit continues to grow, alongside recently announced tuition hikes by the UC system. For students, this also comes at a time when the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’, signed on July 4 by President Donald Trump, has made it increasingly harder to borrow, repay and qualify for federal student loans.
While a multitude of factors have contributed to the strain on the Cal State system, the biggest challenges have been related to its sheer size.
Beginning in the 80s, the Cal State system rapidly expanded at a rate that state funding could not sustain, resulting in a huge budget deficit that continues to grow. The most recent measurement of the deficit was around $2.3 billion. In 2024, this led the Cal State system to approve an annual compounding of 6 percent on student tuition. This results in Cal State students paying 6 percent more of the previous year's tuition every year.
Additionally, Cal State’s financial woes have led to the layoff or vacancy of more than 1,200 staff positions and the elimination of 1,400 courses across multiple campuses. Jeni Kitchell, an assistant vice chancellor for finance of Cal State, in a CalMatters article describes the current situation.
“This growing gap demonstrates why we need immediate action to achieve financial sustainability,” said Kitchell. “We cannot sustain our current level of funding, especially while operating from a position of underfunding.”
However, Cal State isn’t the only California public college system in financial trouble. The University of California system recently announced plans to raise the annual tuition increase cap from 5 percent to 7 percent starting in Fall 2027, and the new California ‘25-26 budget proposes a $271 million cut to UC funding.
For both higher education systems, this comes at a time when financial strains are paired with the Trump administration’s sweeping changes to Federal Student Loan programs, which have affected colleges nationwide. This is tied with the Administration's deliberate targeting of the UC system, specifically UCLA, which has caused the UC system to lose more than $584 million worth of federal research grants.
The reforms introduced by the administration will make it increasingly harder for college students, like those from the UC and Cal State systems, to borrow and repay loans. This means that the schools within the systems could have to spend more on financial aid, while simultaneously not being able to give as much out, which would put even more pressure on both systems budgets.
Despite the rising cost of tuition at Cal States and the looming deadline for increased tuition at UCs, not every student is feeling the impact directly. For some, like Mark Schneeman (’26), these financial shifts haven’t had as much of an effect on him, but it is still something that he likes to keep in mind.
“This [the changes to Federal Student Loan programs] probably affects me less than other people, because I'm pretty lucky with how I've grown up,” Schneeman explained. “But colleges are really expensive and I don't want to be burdened with debt and paying a ridiculous amount of money for college.”
Schneeman also spoke about changes to the UC system.
“I don't know if I'm particularly worried about paying for it, but the cost of the UC system is what makes it so great,” Schneeman said. “I get to stay here and go to college, which is a big factor. Any price change could really change my view of the UCs.”
From a college advisor's perspective, Rosa Mejia hasn’t noted any particular concerns from her students yet, but is rather waiting for the bigger picture to come in during the Spring semester.
“College costs have always been a concern for most students and families for a variety of reasons and especially in the past two years,” Mejia said. “Seniors have shared concerns, but I haven’t seen a significant increase yet. Once financial aid offer letters are sent in late spring, we’ll have a better idea of the impact of changes.”