UCLA’s Education Abroad Program will increase its program fees by an average of $300 per student, beginning in the 2010-2011 academic year.
Over the next three years, the UC EAP will lose $3 million in general funds provided by the UC Office of the President. The loss of these general funds will be offset by registration fees levied on students through an increased EAP fee, which comes in addition to the 32 percent fee increase that applies to all UC students, said Michael Cowan, executive director of EAP at UCOP.
“The EAP fee is built up out of a variety of fees such as education registration fees that students would normally pay if they stayed on their own campuses and administration fees,” Cowan said.
By the 2012-2013 school year, these EAP fees will comprise 95 percent of UC EAP’s revenue, with state funds comprising only 5 percent.
“The fee increase stems from the budget cuts that we’re experiencing across the UC system,” said Hadyn Dick, executive director of EAP at UCLA. “It’s become inevitable that more and more programs have to become self-sustaining.”
In the past, EAP has advertised the costs of their programs as comparable to studying at a UC campus. However, the fee increase will make studying abroad slightly more expensive than staying at a UC campus.
For students eligible for financial aid, financial aid packages should be adjusted to cover the increase, and the EAP Office is confident students will still receive the comprehensive aid packages they need, Dick said.
“There are plenty of EAP options that I think would fit within any student’s budget, and I think students should still consider studying abroad as a viable option,” Dick added.