High non-resident fees deter potential students

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:

• Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen (i.e. permanent
  resident).
• Be physically present in California for more than one
  year.
• Provide evidence that your intent has been to make California
  your home.

In Addition:

• If your parents are not California residents, you must also be
  financially independent.

SOURCE: UC Office of the President Original by MAGGIE WOO/Daily
Bruin Web Adaptation by TIM MIU and JUSTIN HONG