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High non-resident fees deter potential students

Many going to public universities don’t benefit from tax dollars

Laurie Zabala
Published: Wednesday, February 28, 2001

By Laurie Zabala

Daily Bruin Contributor

After eight years of living in and paying taxes to the state of California, UC Berkeley student Fang Hu is still required to pay non-resident fees totalling $10,244.

Like Hu, many immigrants on visas,who do not have permanent residency status in the United States but who for years have been living in and paying taxes to the state, are classified as non-residents.

The university has two fees, based on residency status in California. Students who are considered non-residents pay a higher tuition fee than those who are considered residents.

UC students either pay normal residency fees, which have remained steady at $2,716 or decreased in past years, or non-resident fees, which are almost four times as much and may rise again next year, according to Peter Pursley, legislative affairs director of the UC Student Association.

California residents pay a lower fee because the cost of their education comes from state taxes. Since the university is supported by California taxpayers, the university’s primary goal is to serve state residents, said Student Regent Justin Fong.

“It’s a combined problem of UC policies and state immigration policies,” Fong said. “There’s been a lot of support to get rid of the non-resident fee ... it’s a difficult sell to the public.”

Evan Okamura, external vice president of the Undergraduate Students Association Council, described the non-resident fee as a huge wall for immigrants.

“Obviously, it’s wrong,” Okamura said. “They shouldn’t have to pay ridiculous out-of-state fees. It (perpetuates) the feeling of being a foreigner.”

UC spokesman Brad Hayward said the university wants to attract all potential students and believes the UC still remains attractive because it has a lot to offer.

“We try to be very sensitive to the financial constraints of students, but we are obliged to set fees that are consistent with state policies,” Hayward said.

The Legislative Analyst Office recommended an increase in the fees in next year’s UC budget – something the Graduate Student Association opposes.

According to GSA, about 90 percent of international students are graduate students.

“Continuing increases in non-resident tuition will make it increasingly difficult to attract qualified and promising graduate students both from elsewhere in the U.S. and from abroad,” said GSA President Martin Griffin.

To be considered a resident for tuition purposes, a student must be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident and be physically present in the state for at least one year with the intent to make California their home. Also, students must be financially independent if their parents are not residents.

Establishing permanent residency and naturalization can be a lengthy processes and may stretch out over several years.

Hu emigrated from Taiwan to California in 1993 and applied for permanent residency that same year. After eight years, she is currently in the last stage of getting her green card.

“It’s not fair because we’ve been living here and been paying different taxes,” Hu said.

Hu said she heavily considered not attending a UC because of the high non-resident tuition fee and because private colleges offer more financial aid to international students than the UC does.

“It has been difficult because my family has been borrowing money from relatives in Taiwan,” Hu said.

In another case, a high school student, who wished to remain anonymous because she is undocumented, said she wants to apply to the UC and Cal State universities but cannot afford the non-resident tuition.

“My dad gets paid minimum wage and he’s the only one that works,” the student said. “If I can’t get any financial aid, then I won’t go to college. It frustrates me because I have the grades to go to a UC.”

Fong said if the UC was able to waive the non-resident fee for the first year, then students might have a better chance of establishing residency.

“To remain competitive, we have to remain attractive to all students,” Fong said. “It’s barring the UC from being able to attract graduate student candidates. There needs to be more discussion in the UC on how we can make it more attractive for non-residents.”

Hayward said the university tries to limit the increases in non-resident tuition and that the UC’s non-resident fees are lower than the average non-resident fees at the University of Illinois, University of Michigan, State University of New York, and the University of Virginia.

A budget hearing will be held today at the state capitol in which the state legislature will hold its first review of the proposed budget for the UC and the rest of public higher education in California.

“This will be a major opportunity for UCSA to lobby legislation for student priorities in budget,” Pursley said.

UC FEES Resident and non-resident fees for 2000-2001 undergraduates. To be considered a California resident for UC purposes you must: