So much for the idea of an affordable public education: attending several University of California campuses now tops $50,000 a year for in-state students. The California Post reports new data reveals the total cost—including tuition, housing, and meals—has hit over fifty-four thousand dollars at UC Berkeley, and crossed the fifty-thousand mark at Santa Barbara and Irvine. For a four-year degree, California families are looking at a two-hundred-thousand-dollar price tag.
Do a little due diligence before freaking out. Rachel Yang Zhou with the Public Policy Institute of California tells the California Post that the sticker price is misleading. Thanks to financial aid programs like Blue and Gold, more than half of in-state undergrads pay zero tuition, and two-thirds graduate completely debt-free. Like getting a promo code for an purchase online,it is worth gaming-out how to pay as little as you can.
While UC costs sit well above the national average—and tuition hikes are locked in at up to five percent annually for incoming classes—adjusting for inflation shows that actual tuition has dipped. The real culprit squeezing student wallets? The skyrocketing cost of local food and housing in California.
