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As the University of California seeks to sharply increase student fees, its president, Mark G. Yudof, announced plans today to soften the impact with an ambitious campaign to raise $1 billion for financial aid and a policy change widening aid eligibility for more middle-income families.
The 10 UC campuses have committed to raising the $1 billion in private funds for student aid over the next four years, Yudof said. That would be double the amount the system garnered for that purpose over the last five years.
The university also wants to expand an existing financial aid program that uses UC, federal and state grants to cover all basic education fees, but not room and board, for most students whose family incomes are $60,000 or below. Yudof announced that he will ask the Board of Regents to broaden the "Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan" to cover household incomes up to $70,000 to ensure that no academically qualified student is shut out of UC.
That change would provide full coverage of fees for about 800 additional students, officials estimate. The main goal is symbolic -- to encourage high school students to apply to UC, they said.
About half of UC's 170,000 undergraduates receive some aid, averaging $11,100 per student, according to university statistics. Many low-income students receive help with living costs, and some students with family incomes above $100,000 a year receive some fee aid depending on their household circumstances.
In response to reduced state funding, the UC regents next month are expected to vote on a proposal to raise undergraduate fees by $2,514 by next fall to $10,300. The cost of room, board, books and other expenses can add another $15,000 to annual bills.
Yudof made his announcement at Sunnyside High School in Fresno, a school that runs a much-praised medical and health academy in connection with UC. The school enrolls mainly low-income Latino students.
"I'm here today to tell you that you can attend UC. You can attend UC, regardless of your family's ability to pay," Yudof told students, according to a transcript of his remarks.
Much of the year-old Blue and Gold plan relies on federal and state funding beyond UC's control, such as Pell Grants and Cal Grants. The Cal Grants program was in jeopardy earlier this year during budget debates, but was ultimately retained. UC spokesman Ricardo Vazquez said that UC could proceed with the aid expansion since leaders feel confident Cal Grants will be maintained next year and that UC will dedicate a third of any extra fees to financial aid.
In his statement, Yudof emphasized that private fundraising is not a substitute for adequate state funding and that he would continue to press Sacramento for more money.
larry.gordon@latimes.com
The 10 UC campuses have committed to raising the $1 billion in private funds for student aid over the next four years, Yudof said. That would be double the amount the system garnered for that purpose over the last five years.
The university also wants to expand an existing financial aid program that uses UC, federal and state grants to cover all basic education fees, but not room and board, for most students whose family incomes are $60,000 or below. Yudof announced that he will ask the Board of Regents to broaden the "Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan" to cover household incomes up to $70,000 to ensure that no academically qualified student is shut out of UC.
That change would provide full coverage of fees for about 800 additional students, officials estimate. The main goal is symbolic -- to encourage high school students to apply to UC, they said.
About half of UC's 170,000 undergraduates receive some aid, averaging $11,100 per student, according to university statistics. Many low-income students receive help with living costs, and some students with family incomes above $100,000 a year receive some fee aid depending on their household circumstances.
In response to reduced state funding, the UC regents next month are expected to vote on a proposal to raise undergraduate fees by $2,514 by next fall to $10,300. The cost of room, board, books and other expenses can add another $15,000 to annual bills.
Yudof made his announcement at Sunnyside High School in Fresno, a school that runs a much-praised medical and health academy in connection with UC. The school enrolls mainly low-income Latino students.
"I'm here today to tell you that you can attend UC. You can attend UC, regardless of your family's ability to pay," Yudof told students, according to a transcript of his remarks.
Much of the year-old Blue and Gold plan relies on federal and state funding beyond UC's control, such as Pell Grants and Cal Grants. The Cal Grants program was in jeopardy earlier this year during budget debates, but was ultimately retained. UC spokesman Ricardo Vazquez said that UC could proceed with the aid expansion since leaders feel confident Cal Grants will be maintained next year and that UC will dedicate a third of any extra fees to financial aid.
In his statement, Yudof emphasized that private fundraising is not a substitute for adequate state funding and that he would continue to press Sacramento for more money.
larry.gordon@latimes.com
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