UC tuition hikes unclear; board asks state for more funding

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- At the University of California, Riverside, students back from the holiday break were unaware that Gov. Jerry Brown may have a gift for them.

Brown is standing firm on a plan to avoid tuition increases for UC campuses. He is calling on the UC board of regents to rethink how it does business.

In November, the board approved increasing tuition up to 5 percent a year for the next five years. As a way to avert the price hike, UC leadership told Brown it needs more money.

"I think the university can be a fine university living within the funds we've appropriated," Brown said.

His budget allocates $120 million to the UC system with the condition that a tuition freeze stay intact.

Some students said they agreed with Brown's condition.

"I am in favor of the governor giving the money with the strings attached because tuition is already high as it is, and I know many people, many of my peers really can't afford it," student Pratik Bhakta said.

But UC president Janet Napolitano called the lack of sufficient funding a disappointment in a statement.

"We are hopeful that continued discussions with the governor and the legislature will yield a budget that maintains the access, affordability and excellence for which the University of California is renowned," the statement said.

For now, it's not clear if a tuition hike is on the horizon. Even so, students are still frustrated with the cost to attend college.

"I am already applying for jobs just so I can pay for my first year on my loan already," Freshman Eva Arenas said.

UC Riverside Provost Paul D'nieri said in a statement to Eyewitness News if the system is to avoid a tuition increase, state funding has to keep pace with increases in wages and other costs.