Update on Campus Funds

I have recently updated my information on how much each campus is funded per student to include the latest 2009-10 information. As I have previously pointed out, UCOP redistributes state funds to the campuses in a very unequal way, and although they are now going to let the campuses keep their student fees and tuition, most of the uneven distribution is in the allocation of state funds. Leaving aside UCSF for the moment, the biggest differences are between UCSC and UCLA. In 2009-10, UCLA received $29,775 per student ($11,720 in tuition and $18,035 from the state), while UCSC only got $16,516 per student ($8,461 from tuition and $8,055 from the state). (I have deducted financial aid from all of these figures). For a spreadsheet on all of the campuses click here.

While UCSF received $12,189 in tuition and $76,120 per student from the state for a total of $88,309 per student, the average of the other campuses was $9,825 from tuition/fees and $13,280 from the state for a total of $23,108 per student. It is important to point out that these amounts do not include funding from the campuses’ general funds, and the state support does not include Cal Grants. I would also like to add that the average financial aid per student dollar is 21% and not 33%, which the university often claims.

These statistics bring up several questions. First of all, why doesn’t the state and the UC administration differentiate between undergraduate and graduate costs and revenues in its statistics? A related question concerns whether it is ethical and even legal for students and parents to pay for tuition on one campus when the funds are spent on another campus? Also, it appears that the different cost between undergraduate and graduate education only accounts for part of the differential funding of the campuses, and so we must ask, what else determines this redistribution of wealth?

As I have argued before, this system of UCOP redistributing funding is even more important than the level of support of funding from the state. While we need to maintain our state support, we have to realize that even if the state increases UC funding, UCOP might still starve some of the campuses. Furthermore, during this time of decreased state funding, it becomes even more vital to demand transparency and fairness in the distribution of resources.