It costs 1,360% more to go to a CSU than 40 years ago – and that’s adjusted for inflation
When it comes to preaching financial savvy to college students forking over considerable cash for school, the “back in my day” argument doesn’t apply.
Working hard and living at home can only go so far in staving off debt for today’s students because of steep fee increases that have unfolded over the past 40 years, according to the California Budget and Policy Center determined in a recent data analysis.
The center adjusted 1979 college tuition and fees for inflation and found the cost of attending a University of California school is six times greater than 40 years ago. A year at UC today costs $14,400, up from an inflation-adjusted $2,200 in 1979.
Meanwhile, the cost of attending a California State University campus is 1,360 percent greater than it was in 1979. Back then, students paid an inflation-adjusted $500 for a year at a CSU. Today they pay $7,300.
Living expenses are up, too. Students pay $4,000 more per year in food and housing costs, totaling nearly $14,000 per year.
“The ‘back in my day’ narrative is tempting on the surface,” wrote Amy Rose, policy analyst for the center and author of the study. “Many students in prior generations were able to work moderate hours and attend school full-time, graduating on time and with little to no debt. Today’s students face a much different scenario, with significantly higher total costs of attendance, largely due to rising housing costs.”
California students graduate with more than $20,000 in debt, a number below the national average. The state’s general fund financially supports the public university systems, but budge CONTINUE READING: UC, CSU tuition skyrocketed since 1970, making debt likely | The Sacramento Bee
