Issue Briefs: Student Fees
Historical Context
In 1996 the CSU undertook a systemwide planning process known as Cornerstones, designed to define the future of the CSU system through collaboration among faculty, administrators, trustees and students. Ten interconnected Cornerstones principles formed the basis of a report which struck resonance with from the goals originally articulated in the Master Plan. The final Cornerstones report was published in 1998.
Principle 7 is “the State of California must develop a new policy framework for higher education finance to assure that the goals of the Master Plan are met. This framework should be the basis for the subsequent development of periodic ‘compacts’ between the State and the institutions of higher education.”
A number of sub-parts of Principle 7 addressed student fees:
7d. Students and their families should bear responsibility for paying a portion of the costs of their education, because there are substantial returns specifically to the individual from achievement in higher education. The State of California must adopt a more realistic and stable long-term student fee and financial aid policy as part of a new state policy framework.
7e. The fees paid by students may increase as they move from undergraduate to graduate and professional education. Professional fees for post-baccalaureate education may reflect differences in program costs; such fees must be matched by adequate financial aid for eligible students. This policy must be monitored carefully to ensure the continued strengthening of graduate programs, and that access is increased, not decreased.
7f. Student fees should not be a barrier to higher education for academically qualified but financially needy students. Economic access can be maintained despite increases in fees through appropriate financial aid programs, which should be maintained as a public priority.
Student fees are again addressed in Principle 8: “The responsibility for enhancing educational excellence, access, diversity, and financial stability shall be shared by the state, the CSU, the campuses, our faculty and staff, and students.” A sub-part of the principle advocates development of a student fee policy:
8b. Steps need to be taken to develop a stable long-term student fee and financial aid policy as part of a long-term funding compact with the State of California. Student fee increases should only occur as part of a planned and managed financial compact among the institution, the state, and the students. Students should know when they first enroll in the CSU what their fees will be when they graduate. In keeping with current Trustee policy, one-third of all revenues from fee increases should be reserved for institutional financial aid.