<p>So I was on my way to class yesterday and I heard something really interesting on NPR..</p>
<p>The head of the University of California has proposed a new plan to help low-income students realize their first-tier university dreams.</p>
<p>The plan is up for review next month, and if it is passed students from low-income families (under 65,000) a year will have their university fees waved (paid-for) without question.</p>
<p>The purpose of this is to encourage students from low-income families to apply, because apparently the stressful financial aid process tends to be a bit intimidating. He argued that the financial process and its promises are too vague.</p>
<p>I think this is an amazing idea, how about you?</p>
<p>I mean, financial aid would cover fees for most of those students anyway, but the guaruntee that fees will be waved, i think, is a great incentive for application.</p>
<p>I was under the impression that the entire California higher education system is cash-strapped as it is, and seeking pretty hefty enrollment cuts within the near future.</p>
<p>as decker said, this might not be an increase in spending as the majority (vast majority) of those types of applicants would be granted the same type of aid regardless. </p>
<p>great proposal, though i've got to admit.. i don't know a single person, however poor, who's been discouraged from applying to a top UC because of the cost.</p>
<p>What about the surplus a lot of students use for other expenses? For example, the total exceeding the ACTUAL cost of attendance lots of students use to pay for their car, gas, food, etc.</p>
<p>Well, if the UC-system pays for all of the fees which includes housing, students aren't going to have the surplus from the finaid used to pay for housing that oftentimes exists, right?</p>
<p>i read about this proposal in Berkeley's school newspaper today. Two things:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>It would waive tuition expenses, which are something like $8,000 a year (at Berk). This doesn't include housing, books, etc. </p></li>
<li><p>In the article I read it said $60,000 and not $65,000 as the income ceiling for the new proposal.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>This is an intriguing idea, but there would be a lot of backlash as how the UCs will implement this during the current economic deficit in California. First, there was consideration of decreasing the amount of students, and now they're considering paying full tuition to certain students. How can this possibly work? Interesting idea, but at the wrong time.</p>
<p>This is not going to happen............ waiving the fees means that UCs lose money on every student that attends with a family income under 60k, and guess what, that is going to be A LOT of students given that it is a public california school. </p>
<p>If they get financial aid, which they do, it is really not the same thing at all, as the government , i.e. federal and state programs, pay for the tuitition to the school.</p>
<p>California has a lot of programs, such as Cal Grants that cover the cost of tuition. </p>
<p>Unless Cal Grants is going bankrupt this is not needed anyways. I dont think it is right to offer a free tuition to students who have poor grades , which cal grant prevents by requiring at least a 3.1 </p>
<p>California schools are already in debt and they are not too expensive for everyone to afford to begin with.</p>