Extra Classes Could Mean Extra Money
The Daily Cal is reporting that, "Students Could Pay For Excess Units":

Some students who exceed unit caps for graduation ["10 percent more units than the minimum graduation requirement"] may have to shell out an extra fee to UC if a state-driven proposal to charge students for excess units gets the nod from the UC Board of Regents in May.

There are more details about the specifics of the program like cost, and how many students would be affected (apparently very few) in the article. From a purely self-interested perspective this sounds like a fine proposal, as it wouldn't affect me personally, and it would be others who would be paying the extra fees.

From a broader viewpoint, this sounds like a good idea in theory; if people take more time to graduate, or take more classes, then they should pay more than other students. The more I think about it, the less simple it seems. UC Berkeley is a public university, and it has certain obligations because of that. UC Berkeley should be wary of providing an education based on what you can afford, with wealthier students being able to purchase more classes and a better education. If Berkeley wants to use a unit cap for students that could be a solution that doesn't depend on charging different students different amount, but instead giving students a certain number of units or time in which to graduate. I am just extremely wary of having an education system that taylors your schooling depending on how much you pay. [Obviously, the larger issue of making Berkeley more affordable for low-income students in general is a much more difficult problem to solve.]Email This Post!