Community college tuition up to $46 per unit

In its May 2012 newsletter, the Community College Council of the California Federation of Teachers summarizes findings by the Institute for the Study of Societal Issues at U.C. Berkeley.

“California’s Economic Payoff: Investing in College Access and Completion,” finds that people who graduated with a four-year degree earn an average of $1.3 million more than high-school graduates over their working life.

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California's Economic Payoff

The state of California gets back $4.50 for each dollar invested in public higher education according to the report, which was commissioned by the Campaign for College Opportunity and co-released with the California Civil Rights Coalition and the California Chamber of Commerce.

In spite of these gains, why does college tuition continue to increase?

When I enrolled in Cuesta College for fall 2010, I paid $26 per unit. This month I enrolled in a four-unit summer course and owe $46 per unit.

The benefits of higher education extend well beyond the direct payoff for students and include substantial gains to the state, according to the Campaign for College Opportunity:

“California´s higher education investments pay off for all of California, not only for the individuals who receive a college education through increased lifetime earnings, but for the state in increased tax revenue and reduced costs for social welfare programs and incarceration.”

Download the complete report at http://www.collegecampaign.org/resources/research/ca-economic-payoff.