Related: 'UC Davis 101': History, politics and finance

By Dateline staff

In her “UC Davis 101” presentation this week, Associate Professor Michal Kurlaender said UC has done a good job of protecting financial aid for low-income students — indeed, roughly a third of the revenue from increased tuition goes to financial aid.

“Which is to say, really, that the rise in tuition is really being felt by the middle-income families in California,” she said.

The very next day, Feb. 8, Assembly Speaker John A. Perez, D-Los Angeles, introduced his Middle Class Scholarship Plan to cut UC and California State University fees by about two-thirds for students from families making less than $150,000 a year.

Here is how UC President Mark G. Yudof responded:

“Like Assembly Speaker Perez, we are deeply concerned about ensuring affordability for middle-class students who don’t qualify for financial aid.

“That said, the University of California has made it a priority to make a high-quality education accessible to a wide range of students from families with low or moderate income. Roughly half of UC students pay no tuition because of robust financial aid reinforced by an ongoing institutional commitment.

“As we work with the governor and legislators on fiscal and policy issues that would affect the affordability of a UC education, we welcome constructive efforts such as the speaker’s proposal to provide middle-class tuition relief."

UC's Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan covers systemwide fees for students who are California residents and whose families earn less than $80,000 a year. Additionally, students must be in their first four years as UC undergraduates or first two years as transfer students, and they must meet other basic requirements for UC grant aid.

Kurlaender also responded to Perez's plan:

"As California families have to pay an increasingly larger share of the cost of public higher education through tuition increases, the state needs to consider how to maintain affordability for students across family income backgrounds.

"There should be some discussion about limits to tuition increases, and much more information about the effects of different types of financial aid programs on college access and persistence."