UC System Approves First Tuition Increase In 7 Years

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The University of California has approved its first tuition increase in seven years.

The university system's Board of Regents voted Thursday for the plan to increase tuition by 2.5 percent a year during its meeting in San Francisco.

The vote came after UC President Janet Napolitano called for the annual tuition increase of $282 and a bump in fees by $54 for the 2017-18 school year.

Many students have vocally opposed an increase.

Critics have said higher tuition puts too much burden on students already struggling to pay for their educations.

Napolitano said hikes are needed to maintain quality of at the 10 campuses that comprise the nation's largest public university system, where the student population has grown each year and state funding has been cut. Tuition has been frozen since 2011.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.