The evolution of A.S. funding over the past two decades
Funding for the Associated Students has grown alongside the student population at UC Santa Barbara. Over the past two decades, students have voted to approve more lock-in fees and support organizations that prioritize basic needs and physical resources such as the Bike Shop, Food Bank and Pardall Center. These organizations currently account for nearly 15% of funding that is received.
There are two primary types of funding in Associated Students (A.S.): lock-in and undesignated funding. Both come from fees that UCSB students pay each quarter. Lock-in groups are fully funded through these fees, while undesignated groups receive only a portion of their funding from them. Lock-in fees are fees voted on and approved by the student body for a specified purpose or a service. In contrast, the undesignated funding is not predetermined for a specific purpose. Instead, the A.S. Finance and Business Committee, President and Senate decide how to allocate these funds among the BCUs (Boards, Commissions and Units).
The majority of A.S. funding comes from student fees during the academic year, followed by summer session student fees. Other A.S. revenue sources include interest and dividend income from designated accounts and reserves, projected over-enrollment revenue, lock-in recharge fees, transfers of rollover funds and other operational or miscellaneous revenue.
In the 2005-06 academic year, there were an estimated 17,000 students enrolled compared to an estimated 22,000 students in 2025-26. In the 2025-26 academic year, each student paid $241.72 per quarter for fall, winter and spring quarters, which made up $15,953,520 of A.S.'s $20,513,202 revenue. Adjusting for inflation, students pay over 2.5 times what students paid two decades ago: The 2005 A.S. fee per quarter during the academic year was $56.23, which is equivalent to $94.19 today. Meanwhile, the fee students pay today is $241.72.
The biggest jump in student fees between academic years happened from 2007-08, when fees rose to $156.23 dollars, worth $249.55 today.
The sharp rise in student fees during the 2006-2007 year was a result of the spring 2006 vote which would raise A.S. fees by $100. This would bring membership fees from $56.23 to $156.23 beginning Winter 2007.
Michael Cea, the Associate Director for Finance and Budgets in A.S., explained that periodic adjustments for cost-of-living have also contributed to increases in fees.
“Historically, certain existing AS fees have had 5-year Cost of Living Adjustments (‘COLA’) whereby a 5-year average of the CA Consumer Price Index is applied to these AS fees every 5 years,” Cea said in an email statement to the Daily Nexus. “Other than that, the fees have largely remained the same, unless the student body voted on any decrease, increase or cancellation of specific AS fees in past election cycles.”
While C.O.L.A. adjustments contributed to periodic increases in A.S. fees, funding is not the primary reason for these increases.
"The increase in AS fee revenue, as a whole, increased due to the student body approving additional services for AS to manage," Cea wrote. "[T]he COLA inflationary impact is a much smaller % of the increase compared to adding new AS fees themselves."
While these fees all fall under "A.S. fees," they are designated to lock-in fees, undesignated fees and A.S. pass-through fees. A.S. pass through fees are collected by A.S. but are allocated to non-A.S. student services, such as Arts & Lectures, Intramural Sports and the Recreational Center.
Despite the increase in overall A.S. fees, the amount directly supporting A.S. services are lower than the total students are being charged. For example, in the 2025-26 academic year, students were charged $241.72 in A.S. fees, but only $156.31 went to A.S. lock-in and A.S. undesignated fees (including Coastal Fund) while $85.41 went to A.S. pass through fees.
Undesignated funding has remained relatively stable, while lock-in fees have continued to expand as students vote to establish and maintain funding for specific organizations, services and programs. As more initiatives gain student approval, more portions of the A.S. funding become fixed.
Over the last two decades the funding for Basic Needs, physical support and student entertainment — including the Pardall Center, A.S. Bike Shop, A.S. Food Bank and the A.S. Program Board (ASPB) — has significantly increased compared to the funding of school news and media (Daily Nexus, KCSB) and student mental health support like the Equal Opportunity Program (EOP), the Commission on Student Well Being (COSWB) and Take Back the Night.
Depending on the changes in A.S. funding groups have received, some continue to expand their services and staffing, while others have had to take cut backs. The Nexus spoke with different organizations across the above categories to better understand how funding affects their operations.
Educational Opportunity Program
EOP was established in 1964 with the intention of supporting students from underrepresented minority groups, particularly those from low income and first generation backgrounds.
Associated Students has funded the AS/EOP grant since 1991. The grant was created as student fees increased and financial aid failed to keep pace. Although EOP receives funding from other sources, all funding it receives from A.S. goes directly toward the grant.
In the 2005-06 academic year, EOP received $69,560 in lock-in fees ($117,259.34 today, adjusted for inflation). In the 2025-26 academic year, EOP received $186,180 in support of this grant alone.
Aaron Jones, director of EOP and a doctoral candidate in education at UCSB, said the AS/EOP Grant supports students facing unexpected expenses that could affect their ability to continue their education.
"All you really need is need-based aid to be able to get the grant," Jones said. "For students who are experiencing medical emergencies [or] dental emergencies, we see a lot of students who … are having to deal with wisdom teeth that they have to get extracted. That's a popular one, or any other medical expenses."
Jones said the grant can also support students facing housing-related emergencies, such as students who receive an eviction notice and must meet a three-day pay-or-quit deadline.
"More and more in recent years, since the cost of living and the cost of housing is so exorbitant, we have also been able to work with the student Senate to ratify bylaws to be able to backfill students whose maybe financial aid contribution for housing doesn't actually meet the cost of housing," Jones said.
Jones added that the grant has expanded to include emergency transportation, academic conference travel and accommodations, as well as graduate school test-preparation classes and application costs.
A.S. guidelines list emergency medical and dental expenses, housing and transportation costs, lost or stolen academic supplies, academic conference expenses and graduate-school-related costs among the grant's eligible uses. The guidelines generally cap grants at $1,000 per student each fiscal year, with limited exceptions for serious medical emergencies and other dire circumstances.
Pardall Center
Interest in Pardall Center began in 1977, discussing concerns of lack of student-centered spaces in the community. In 2013, the Pardall Center officially opened as a hub created with the intention of supporting students, giving resources and hosting events in Isla Vista.
In the 2015-16 academic year, the Pardall Center received $182,664 in lock-in fees. Although many other lock-in fees have increased over time, the center's lock-in fee has remained relatively unchanged over the last decade, despite growing demand for services and rising operational costs.
The Pardall Center offers a wide range of free resources, such as printing, Wi-Fi, computers, meeting rooms, quarterly student events and equipment for student organizations to use. Chair Hannah Adams-Claros and Vice Chair Abigail Roberts explained that the Pardall Center is run by students, with governing boards and weekly financial meetings to make sure A.S. funding benefits students.
“The center is more than just services but positions and leadership. It’s the students, not the university, doing the disbursement,” Adams-Claro said.
Food Bank
Unlike some other A.S. organizations, the Food Bank did not receive funding until the 2012-13 academic year, where they received a total of $65,016 (which is $93,565.14 today). They were established to combat food insecurity as a rising number of students were skipping meals due to not only the financial state of the world but also increased student fees. Since then, their funding has increased more than any other organization, demonstrating the prioritization of student's basic needs.
"Nearly our entire budget comes directly from AS funding, collected from quarterly student fees," A.S. Food Bank Director Crystal Bach said in an email statement to the Nexus.
Bach also noted that student demand for the food bank has risen over time by stating that, "Since 2017, the AS Food Bank's registered client population has nearly doubled — from 13.10% in 2017-2018 and peaking at 25.58% in the 2023-2024 academic year."
During the 2025-26 academic year, the Food Bank received $1,030,640 in lock-in fees. The increase in student usage helps offset the financial pressures and burdens that students face, including rising rent and price of food as well as increased cost of living.
"Increased funding has allowed us to keep up with demand and expand our inventory to support students' basic needs," Bach said.
Bike Shop
Established in 1975, the A.S. Bike Shop provides repairs and resources to the bicycle community at UCSB. Adam Jahnka, A.S. Director of Student Engagement and A.S. Bike Shop Manager explained that it was originally created in response to concerns about affordability within the biking community in Isla Vista.
"The shop is really established in response to a feeling that local bike shops in Isla Vista were charging too much money and were not treating the student communities how they felt they should be treated at that time," Jahnka said.
Rather than just being a repair shop, the Bike Shop focuses on providing students with lower cost services to support UCSB's bike culture.
During the 2005-06 academic year, the Bike Shop received $41,750 in lock-in fees ($69,937.55 today). This amount has increased nearly seven times — during the 2025-26 academic year, it received $465,000. Jahnka explained that while funding has grown over time, the increases have been "incremental."
Jahnka noted that the Bike Shop's square footage has "tripled" since opening the new location, allowing the organization to employ more student workers and service "8,000 to 10,000" bicycles each year.
He also explained how funding is allocated within the Bike Shop, emphasizing the importance of student staffing.
"[B]y far our largest annual cost is for staff," Jahnka said. "We employ, on average, anywhere between nine to 15 student mechanics, and each of those student mechanics is paid and compensated. I've been fighting for years to incrementally grow their wages, because the job that they do here is labor, and it's a physical, technical vocation."
Additionally, Jahnka emphasized that "the Bike Shop is not an island," describing it as part of the broader network of A.S. student services aimed at supporting students' everyday needs.
KCSB
KCSB was established in 1962 and serves as UCSB's student-run radio station. It provides music programming, news coverage and public affairs content while providing broadcasting opportunities for both students and community members.
While centers organized around basic needs have seen a significant increase in funding over the last 20 years, student media organizations such as KCSB have seen much less financial growth. In the 2005-06 academic year, KCSB received $66,000 ($110,559.96 today) in funding compared to the $210,150 they received in funding this year.
According to Avery Morgan, a UCSB alum and the general manager of KCSB, the radio station has not "seen a fee increase since 2006." Morgan explained that while KCSB's funding has increased due to inflation adjustments and the 2007 increase, the station has not received a student approved lock-in fee increase since 2006.
However, KCSB staff also stated that A.S. support goes beyond directly funding them. Ted Coe, KCSB's advisor, suggested that A.S. support extends beyond direct funding allocations alone, stating that "[The A.S.] Program Board has helped us with concerts and community events over the years … We have expertise, but they do it on a much larger scale."
As far as funding goes, Morgan explained how KCSB allocatates the money that they receive from student lock-ins. "Two-thirds of the money that we get from student lock-ins goes to paying our student staff fees" Morgan said. "There is this student staffer who's being paid, but it's kind of a ripple effect where there's so many students that are feeling the impact and getting training."
While KCSB continues to provide student employment, professional training and community programming, the lack of funding increases (other than inflation adjustments) has forced KCSB to reduce staffing despite student involvement and demand.
"A couple years ago, we had to make the decision to cut down from 18 paid student staff members to 15, which we're at now," Morgan said.
As funding for some A.S. services remains stagnant or fails to keep pace with rising costs, A.S. groups may have fewer resources to meet their financial responsibilities. Referring to the base A.S. lock-in, Cea said, "It hasn't kept pace with inflation and is a vital source of funds for A.S. operations."