CSU officials said the new fees are targeted to encourage students to graduate faster and not repeat classes. Students would not necessarily pay any of the fees if they chose their classes more carefully.
Three fees will be considered at the California State University Board of Trustees meeting scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday:
- A fee to impose a "graduation incentive." Most CSU students need 120 units to graduate, but about 6 percent of university seniors have already completed at least 150 units. The fee would be imposed on students who have already completed 160 units, then reduced to 150 units beginning in fall 2014. Those students would be encouraged to graduate and free up classroom space for other students.
- Students who repeat courses could be charged a new fee. Approximately 40,000 classroom seats are occupied each term by students who had already taken the respective course.
- A third-tier tuition fee will also be considered next week. It would be targeted at students taking 18 or more units in a semester. Students who take six units or fewer are charged one tuition rate. Students taking more than six units are charged another rate. Some students enroll in a large number of classes and drop some of them later. The third-tier rate is estimated to free up about 32,000 seats in course each year.
In other news, CSU students will receive refunds of up to $249 due to the passage of California Proposition 30.
City News Service contributed to this report.
