More Tuition Increases for UC/CSU schools?

I was reading the Ventura County Star this morning and happened upon this article: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/jul/10/tuition-may-go-up-again-at-state-universities/

CSU is considering raising fall 2011 tuition by 12 percent — an additional $588 a year. The board of trustees will vote on the proposal Tuesday. If the increase is approved, annual tuition will be $5,472, not including fees or room and board.

UC could raise tuition for this fall by 9.6 percent — an additional $1,068 a year. That would boost annual tuition to $12,192, not including fees or room and board. The UC board of regents is set to vote on the increase Thursday.

 Both of these state options are still inexpensive relative to many private colleges and universities, but to see the UC tuition over $12,000 is sobering.

A reminder that the UC system has the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan for low-income families.  You can read more about that here: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/paying-for-uc/financial-aid/grants/blue-gold/index.html.

UC's Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan will cover your educational and student services fees if you are a California resident whose family earns less than $80,000 a year and you qualify for financial aid — and that's just for starters. Blue + Gold students with sufficient financial need can qualify for even more grant aid to help reduce the cost of attending.

US Lags in Degrees - NY Times

This article came out last month in the New York Time, discussing the number of college degrees held by US residents in the 25-34 year age range.  Where the US was once the leader in this category, it is now 12th out of 36 developed nations.   Canada now leads this pack. 

A great deal of time and money goes into recruiting students for colleges and universities, but what the students actually do once they get there matters too.  Completion rates for 4-year and 2-year schools look something like this:

While almost 70 percent of high school graduates in the United States enroll in college within two years of graduating, only about 57 percent of students who enroll in a bachelor’s degree program graduate within six years, and fewer than 25 percent of students who begin at a community college graduate with an associate’s degree within three years.

And apparently, a Bachelor's degree is still much more likely to belong to a wealthier person:

And students from the highest income families are almost eight times as likely as those from the lowest income families to earn a bachelor’s degree by age 24.

 For me, this brings up the issue of how important it is for a student to find the right fit for them when selecting a college or university to attend.  The right fit is going to make it much more likely that they will stay at the school and complete their degree.  If community college is the preferred route, it makes clear that having a plan in place for an Associates degree as well as the ability to matriculate to a 4-year institution is important.  I can also see how important it is for schools to support students all along the way so that attending college isn't something for only the privileged students.