Cal Poly, CSUCI tuition going up

Students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and at Cal State Channel Islands will be paying more in tuition to attend those universities.

The California State University Board of Trustees has approved the first tuition increase in the CSU System in six years.

Its not so much the amount of the tuition hike, which works out to about $270 a year increase for the average CSU undergraduate student, but its the rising cost of a college education that weighs heavy on the minds of Cal Poly students we spoke with.

“Oh yeah”, says Cal Poly second year student John Jennings, “I’m already in a lot more financial trouble than I was last year, which is never a good feeling.”

Jennings says he’s okay with the tuition hike as long as the added revenue is spent where its needed on the Cal Poly campus.

“I know they are building new dorms up on top (of the campus) which I don’t really agree with that”, Jennings says, “I feel like they should be building more classrooms first instead of more dorms because classrooms are already full as it is and its hard to get into (classes for your major).”

Undergraduate tuition will grow to about $5,500 a year not including books, fees, room and board, even more for graduate students.

Students expressed concern about the rising cost of attending Cal Poly, or any other CSU campus.

“Its kind of a bummer just because its one of the more affordable schools”, says Cal Poly student Sasha Kobylinski, “I know of people who pay $60,000, $70,000 to go for school and that’s like absurd, so its nice to have a school that’s not as expensive.”

A spokesperson for the California State University System, the largest of its kind in the country, says a CSU education remains a great bargain.

“Tuition in general is low compared to what you would see in other states and other systems across the country, we also have a very robust financial aid package”, says CSU spokesperson MIchael Uhlenkamp, “so roughly 60% of our undergraduates, which is about 255,000 students, do not pay tuition so they would be insulated from this increase.”

Cal Poly students we spoke with believe its a wise investment in their future.

“Its just so hard for people to even get their foot in the door in a lot of industries”, says Cal Poly student Sasha Kobylinski, “until you have the college degree most people won’t even like look at you.”

“Having that attached to your name, definitely gives you credibility”, says Cal Poly student John Jennings, “it proves that you put in the time and the work and that you’re taking it seriously, you’re taking the jobs that you are applying to seriously.”

The tuition increase takes effect in the Fall.