After years of significant budget cuts and rising demand for classes, one community college in California plans to become the first of its kind to offer a two-tier pricing system for popular courses.

 

Santa Monica College intends this summer to charge a higher fee to students seeking classes that usually fill up. Administrators hope the solution will alleviate the problem of students not getting coursework required for transfer to a university. Although the details are still be decided, it is probable that the per-unit cost for California residents will rise from $45 to $180 or $200 for the premium courses.

 

The school has been unable to add more classes due to funding reductions from the state. Over the past four years, California’s community college system has lost $809 million in state aid, including $564 million in the most recent budget.

 

Santa Monica, with an enrollment of about 34,000, is known for its high transfer rate to the University of California campuses and other four-year colleges. With the costs of higher education on the rise, it is common for students who would otherwise qualify for a four-year university to do their first two years at Santa Monica just to save money.

 

Observers suggest that if Santa Monica College succeeds with its two-tier system, other schools may copy it. That has some critics worried, saying the higher cost will exclude poor students from gaining higher education. College officials have appealed for private donations to cover the difference for financially disadvantaged students.

-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky

 

2-Year College, Squeezed, Sets 2-Tier Tuition (by Jennifer Medina, New York Times)

Santa Monica College To Offer Two-Tier Course Pricing (by Carla Rivera, Los Angeles Times)