ERIC ED359993: How Will the Implementation of a Differential Tuition Fee Structure at the California Community College System Influence Student Enrollment?

43 Pages·1993·0.74 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 359 993
JC 930 317
AUTHOR
Brinkman, Charles R., IV
TITLE
How Will the Implementation of a Differential Tuition
Fee Structure at the California Community College
System Influence Student Enrollment?
PUB DATE
93
NOTE
44p.; Graduate seminar
paper, University of
California, Lo: Angeles.
PUB TYPE
Dissertations/Theses
Undetermined (040)
Tests /Evaluation Instruments (160)
EDRS PRICE
MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.
DESCRIPTORS
Access to Education; Bachelors Degrees; *College
Graduates; Community Colleges; *Enrollment
Influences; *Enrollment Trends; Fees; Paying for
College; Politics of Education; Student
Characteristics; *Student Costs; *Tuition; Two Year
Colleges; *Two Year College Students
IDENTIFIERS
*California Community Colleges
ABSTRACT
The study reported in this
paper was conducted to
determine how the implementation of
a 1993 differential fee policy in
California that charges higher fees
to students with a bachelor's
degree will affect the enrollment of students with
bachelor's
degrees, and how this policy
may change the overall enrollments of
the California community college system.
Enrollment data were
collected from individual institutions, the Office
of the Chancellor
of the California Community Colleges,
state community college systems
outside California, and the Center for
the Study of Community
Colleges, which provided nationwide statistics.
Results of the study
included the following: (1) before
the fee increase, approximately 7%
to 15% of California's community college
students held a bachelor's
degree or higher, with the attendance
rate of college graduates
increasing gradually in recent
years; (2) there was an overall
increase in student enrollment in California
community colleges
between 1990 and 1992;
(3) while college enrollments
were up 3%
nationwide, California experienced
a nearly 9% drop in enrollment in
spring 1993;
(4) California experienced
a systemwide drop of nearly
50% in baccalaureate or higher level
students in spring 1993,
representing a 4% overall student loss;
and (5) the number of
full-time equivalent students is
declining, with students taking
fewer units. A bibliography,
a list of tables, and the survey
instrument are included. (MAB)
***********************************************************************
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How will the implementation of a differential tuition fee structure
at the California Community College System influence student
enrollment?
Charles R. Brinkman IV
Spring 1993
Educ. 299-C
Profs. J. Trent/A. Astin
"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Once or Educational Research and Improvement
MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
C. R. Brinkman
CENTER (ERIC)
O
This document has been reproduced as
received Irom the person or organization
/originating 5
V Minor changes have been made to improve
reproduction Quality
TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Points of view Or opinions stated in this dOCu
ment do not necessarily represent official
tir
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC...
OERI position or policy
RAILABLE
Table of Contents
Page 1
Introduction
Page 3
Problem/Purpose
Page
4 - 7
History
Page
Definition of Terms
7
8 - 9
Page
Theory
Page - 11
Process
10
- 13
Literature Review
Page
11
Page
- 14
Design
13
Page - 15
Variables
14
Page
- 16
Method Sample/Population
15
Page
- 17
Preliminary Data
16
- 25
Page
Final Results
18
Page
- 30
Conclusions/Speculations
26
Page
Bibliography
31
Page
List of Tables
32
Pages 33 - 35
Appendices
April 14 1993
Copy of Report faxed to CPEC,
Attachment;
(4 pages plus cover)
Final Report
Chuck Brinkman
Ed. 299-C
Profs. Astin/Trent
Spring 1993
INTRODUCTION
The price students must pay
Tuition costs continue to rise.
to receiv,', a college education has markedly increased in the last
The current economic situation has been an important
rew years.
State and federal support of higher
contributor to this increase.
education has been in decline, as seen in a recent article in the
Chronicle of Higher Education (Jaschik, 1992). Therefore, colleges
and universities have been forced to look to other areas to recover
This has led many institutions of higher
this loss of revenue.
This
education to raise their tuition, to help meet expenses.
report will focus on how one system, the California Community
College system, will attempt something new with their tuition
policy, and will also examine the implications and results of this
policy.
California has long had one of the best Community College
It has been estimated that close to 1/2 of
systems in the Nation.
an residents of the state have at some point enrolled in a
that
Table
shows
in
1990,
College
Community
course.
1
approximately 1 in 15 of the adults in California were enrolled in
a community college course. The availability and low cost of these
For
Community College courses contribute to their accessibility.
residents of California, Community Colleges were free of enrollment
fees up to 1984, when the state implemented a $50 per semester
charge for full-time students, or $5 per unit charge for part-time.
This fee was raised to $60 or $6 per unit in 1991.
Table 1
National Community College Enrollment and Fees.. 1990
State's
Ratio
Average
Comm. Col.
Tuit i Fees
Enrollment
Ad:Enr
Adults
0114
14.7
22207780
1508000
California
$1,023
54.5
207636660
3807175
49 States
91,036
72.9
140273758
1923519
41 Smaller States
9958
35.8
67362902
1883656
8 Big States
$579
17.9
2741250
153143
Arizona
9788
10289675
39.1
262829
Florida
$906
22.2
8541820
352869
Illinois
91,124
30.3
6885480
227480
Michigan
91,419
13681964
248392
55.1
New York
91,505
84.3
9126243
108207
Pennsylvania
$495
32.2
12387186
384537
Texas
25.3
3703284
S844
146199
Washington
Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education:
Almanac, vol.39, #1, August 26, 1992
In 1993 this fee was again raised, this time to $10 per unit
Previously,
for residents, but now there is a new added dimension.
Now
there had been a maximum fee cap once 10/units were reached.
There will also be a
there will be no maximum fee ceiling.
Starting in January 1993, students who
differential fee scale.
possess Bachelor or higher degrees will pay more than non-degree
Those with Bachelor degrees will be charged $50 per
students.
Table 2 traces the history
unit, also with no maximum fee ceiling.
of these fee increases.
California Community College Fees
$100
Tab le 2
S50
???
(Students with
$40
Bachelor or
higher Degrees)
$30
$20
Fees
$10
???
Ail Others
$6
All Students
S5
1993
+Spring
drt
Fall 1991
,
SO
95
96
93 94
92
90
87
86
88 89
91
85
1983
84
Year
PROBLEM/PURPOSE
The implementation of this tuition policy at the state level
For the first time, students are
poses some interesting questions.
Those with no
being charged fees based on the degree they hold.
degree pay less, while students who hold a Bachelor's or higher
How will this differential fee scale
degree will pay more.
shape/affect the enrollment at California Community Colleges?
Prior to 1993, approximately 10% of students enrolled at California
It is expected that the
Community Colleges held Bachelor degrees.
3
percentage of Bachelor degree holders in the system will drop, with
The history
the implementation of the new differential fee scale.
of previous fee increases will be examined, to lend support for
this prediction.
This study will specifically examine how the implementation of
this new differential fee policy in California community colleges
will affect the enrollment of students with Bachelor degrees, and
also how this policy may change the overall enrollments of the
Do these fee increases help
California community college system.
that California Higher
or hurt "commitment to diversity",
a
Education and the colleges in the state include in their mission
Will diversity changes or shifts be seen, and how will
statement?
As education gets more
student satisfaction be affected?
complicated (ie. with differential fees), it hurts all students,
will
examine
directly
those
not First,
affected.
only
I
information from California Community College Chancellors office,
looking at the purpose and predicted effects of this differential
What is the analysis and rationalization behind the
fee policy.
differential fee policy? This must be explored, in order to fully
comprehend what we will see happen.
History
Perhaps the root cause of these fee increases in California
in 1978.
can be traced back to the passage of Proposition 13
California community
forever changed
way
Proposition the
13
Prop 13 shifted the basis of community
colleges were funded.
college funding from local to state support, and also resulted in
a loss of students from the California Community Colleges (see
As California's population increased, and as ever-larger
Table 3).
numbers of students-- attracted by the no-tuition policy-- had
enrolled in the community colleges, the system has grown at a much
At the same time, the costs of
faster rate then expected.
education have spiraled.
California Community College Total Enrollment Graph
Table
3
1,50
1,40
Number
of
Students
1,30
< in
thousands
1,200
Proposition 13
Fees charged
Enacted
1,100
1
82 83 84
1977 78 79
85 86 87 88
80
89 90
92 93 94
81
91
Year
Perhaps some of the long ranging effects of Proposition 13 are
recent California state budget
just now being
due
to
felt,
The 1992-93 state budget had an 11-billion gap between
problems.
5
One way of raising
expected revenues and anticipated spending.
additional revenue by the state was to increase the tuition for
All state supported areas of higher education
higher education.
had tuition increases for the 1992-93 school year; the University
of California system; the California State University system; and
the Community College system.
The California Community College system did not initiate this
fee increase, it came directly from the State Governor's office, as
Every report and
a way to help alleviate the budget shortfall.
expert seems to agree that a differential fee structure is not the
best solution, to help solve a budget problem. The Chancellor of
The purpose
the system himself was opposed to this fee structure.
of this fee increase is to help offset the California budget
By having students with degrees pay higher tuition, they
deficit.
will be assuming more of the actual cost of their education,
This policy seems to
instead of having the state forced to pay it.
have been implemented solely to help the state meet some of its
If less money can be channeled to
fiscal demands in other areas.
community colleges (by having the community colleges charge higher
tuition approaching the actual cost of education), less State money
can be spent in this area, and instead used elsewhere.
While theoretically this is a good idea, when talking about
education it is important to consider the long range results and
If we make it more difficult for people to get an
end product.
As America
education, we are actually hurting our own future.
moves from a manufacturing/technology industry, to a knowledge
6
, i
industry, we need to keep increasing the knowledge base available.
The best means to accomplish this is through higher education.
We
must be very careful not to start down a road that leads in the
wrong direction, by cutting back in the area of education, or by
making it more difficult to obtain.
Definition of Terms
California's system of public
California Community Colleges:
two-year colleges, defined by the Master Plan as the lowest tier of
higher
education
public
state's three-tiered
system.
the
Currently, California has 107 community colleges, in 70 community
college districts, enrolling over one million students.
Each
community college has its own chief executive officer and its own
board of trustees, elected by residents of the district.
The number of students taking classes for credit
Enrollment:
in any given term.
An initiative passed by California voters in
Proposition 13:
1978, which significantly reduced local property taxes and required
a two-thirds vote by the voters for the approval of additional
Proposition 13 became Article XIII of the California
taxes.
Constitution.
The charges which a student must pay in
Tuition and/or Fees:
Tuition charges are designed to cover
order to attend college.
charged
are
for
fees
instruction;
part
the cost
of
of
noninstructional purposes (e.g., health services).
7