California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the 2022-23 state budget proposal on Jan. 10, which includes an overall $602.3 million increase in funding for the University of California.

Part of the increase in Newsom’s proposal includes a $307.3 million increase in ongoing funding for the UC. Of this funding, $200.5 million will be given over the course of five years for “support[ing] University costs.”

The proposal also allots $98.8 million to address enrollment shortcomings. Of this allocation, $67.8 million will be directly used to increase enrollment of California resident students, and $31 million will be used to offset revenue reductions associated with a loss of non-resident students. 

Other aspects of the budget proposal include a one-time fund of $185 million to support UC climate initiatives and another one-time fund of $100 million to support deferred maintenance and energy efficiency projects. 

UC President Michael V. Drake issued a statement in support of the proposal, praising the stability in the budget.

“This [proposal] will enable UC to make critical long-term investments, particularly in areas that directly support our students: further expanding California undergraduate enrollment, boosting resources to traditionally low-income and first-generation students, and increasing college access and affordability for hard-working students and families across the state,” Drake said in the statement.

Representatives of the UC Student Association (UCSA) responded in support as well, describing the budget as an example of the “continued promise of this administration to reinvest in higher education” in a press release.

“Students are enthusiastic about the much-needed certainty that this multi-year compact provides for the University, as well as the opportunity it presents for necessary change,” UCSA President Esmeralda Quintero-Cubillan said in the press release. 

“We maintain that realizing our shared commitment to affordability and accessibility also requires the state to invest in modernizing the Cal Grant, but we look forward to working with the Governor’s office and the state legislature to continue building on the strong framework presented in this January proposal.”

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Sindhu Ananthavel
Sindhu Ananthavel (she/they) is the Lead News Editor for the 2023-24 school year. Previously, Ananthavel was the Deputy News Editor for the 2022-23 school year, the Community Outreach News Editor for the 2021-22 school year and an assistant news editor for the 2021-22 school year. She can be reached at news@dailynexus.com.