California Budget Cuts to Affect MSJC Tuition

With California cutting education spending left and right, MSJC has not been left untouched. At his State of the College Address held late last month, MSJC president Robert Schultz announced that fees would be raised to $46 per unit beginning in the Summer 2012 semester.

Although this amount is much less than other community colleges in California charge, local students are still outraged at the $10 hike in tuition.

“It starts with raising it $10, and before you know it tuition will be doubled,” states MSJC student Thomas Rayburn. “Full time students take at least 12 units per semester, so that is at least $550 they have to pay out of pocket for tuition alone. Then we have to dish out almost the same amount of money for textbooks each semester. It’s ridiculous.”

Other students are more understanding of the tuition hike. MSJC student Breanna Lauer came to this campus right out of high school to avoid the high prices she would find at a 4-year university.

“It does suck that they are raising prices," she said. "But it’s better than taking out thousands of dollars in student loans like you would have to at a bigger university.”

Despite the budget cuts, MSJC is still offering a limited amount of courses over the summer.

To read an in depth outline of the 2011-2012 adopted budget, please read more here. 

To read the Governor’s updated May revision of the community college budget, click here.