The original version of this article contained an error and has been changed. See the bottom of the article for additional information.
The University of California Board of Regents will meet this week to vote on a proposal to increase the tuition of the University’s four nursing programs and set tuition rates for four new professional programs.
There are currently 61 professional programs across the 10 UC campuses, but the regents will only discuss tuition for these eight programs, which would affect about 810 students, said Dianne Klein, a spokeswoman for the UC Office of the President.
The proposal includes a $618 increase in tuition for the the nursing programs offered at the San Francisco, Los Angeles, Irvine and Davis campuses, Klein said. This would increase the tuition for these programs by 8 percent.
Klein said that since most campuses decide to use most of the money they receive from the state to support undergraduate education, professional programs are primarily funded by their enrolled students.
Since most of these programs receive little state support, if they want to maintain their academic quality, they need to charge a greater fee.
The proposed increase for the nursing programs is enough for the programs to maintain their educational rigor, she added.
Klein said there isn’t much time to make the decision on tuition levels because students in these programs start as early as August.
Paul Golaszewski, a higher education specialist for the non-partisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, said it is hard to predict if tuition for professional programs all across the UC will be raised next year.
“The governor has been trying to push this idea of tuition freezes in terms of undergraduate education, but as well in graduate and professional programs,” he said.
Klein said the regents will re-evaluate the supplemental tuition for the professional programs again next year.
“(The regents) will look at it again next year. It’s a combination of political reality and determining what’s the best course for right now, but there is a lot to consider,” Klein said.
Correction: The proposed tuition hike for the University of California’s nursing programs totaled $618.