UC tuition cut for 2018-19 school year approved

The University of California Board of Regents on Thursday approved a tuition cut for the 2018-19 school year.

The revised budget plan comes after an increase in state funding, the university said, adding that it keeps the student service fee at its current level and reduces tuition by $60.

The tuition reduction will go from $11,502 annually to $11,442 annually.

"Oh, wow, that's not a lot," student Diane Hernandez said.

The decrease won't be enough to put a dent in the finances of incoming freshman Linely Cardenas, either.

"$60 is nothing to drop tuition," she said. "Yeah, it's something. But it's not going to make a big difference."

The student services fee will remain at $1,128 a year.

The regents were asked to approve a revision that reflects increases in state support for the UC system due to the Budget Act of 2018 and related bills signed into law.

State support for the university's operating expenses will increase by $98.1 million, a 2.9 percent increase over the university's 2017-18 permanent base budget.

The budget also provides the UC system with "temporary, one-time General Fund appropriations totaling $248.8 million, including $105 million for general University needs and $35 million for deferred maintenance."