UC Will Not Seek Immediate Tuition Increase

University of California students had cause Wednesday for some celebration: UC administrators said they would not seek an immediate tuition hike as a result of the state budget deal reached in Sacramento.

The UC regents are scheduled to meet in mid-July and had been expected to raise tuition by 6%, or $732 more a year, bringing in-state undergraduate tuition to $12,924, not including other campus fees and room and board.

However, the state Legislature put both pressure and a financial sweetener in the budget to avoid tuition hikes if voters approve a tax increase measure in November. As a result, UC President Mark G. Yudof has decided not to ask the regents next month for a tuition hike, spokeswoman Dianne Klein said.

"We will not recommend a tuition increase. We will recommend we take the deal," Klein said. She noted that the UC regents will have final say on tuition levels no matter what Yudof suggests.