This article was updated at 5:44 p.m.
California legislators passed a $96.3 billion state budget for the upcoming year, a plan that includes middle-class scholarships for college students and a 5 percent increase in funding to the University of California.
The budget awaits final approval from Gov. Jerry Brown, who has to sign the state budget by the end of the month.
Starting in the 2014-2015 year, students who are exempt from paying nonresident tuition and whose families earn less than $150,000 will be able to qualify for a scholarship. They will be eligible to have their tuition expenses reduced by up to 40 percent, depending on income level.
The decision comes about nine months after a similar Middle Class Scholarship Act failed in the state Senate last year, a bill that would have reduced students’ tuition expenses by 60 percent.
The approved state budget remains largely unchanged from Brown’s May budget proposal after weeks of discussion in the Democrat-dominated state legislature. The plan still includes $10 million for the UC to develop online courses, as well as funding for student academic preparation and education programs.
Brown had earlier dropped a measure from the budget that would have tied state funding to the UC reaching certain requirements, including better graduation rates and a four-year tuition freeze, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Shortly after the state legislature passed the budget, Brown released a tweet that “California’s budget is balanced and sustainable into the future.”
Compiled by Kristen Taketa, Bruin senior staff.