Brief: UC Expects 4.5% Tuition Rise for 2027 Entrants

The Finance and Capital Strategies Committee of the University of California (UC) Board of Regents will review the 2027-28 budget plan for current operations at its meeting on November 18, 2026. The item submitted to the Regents states that, under the Tuition Stability Plan, Tuition, the Student Services Fee, and Nonresident Supplemental Tuition are expected to increase by approximately 4.5% for undergraduates entering in 2027-28. Irvine seniors applying to UC this year belong to that entering class.

Who Is Affected by the UC 2027-28 Budget Plan

The UC 2027-28 budget plan directly affects undergraduates who enter in fall 2027, including Irvine 12th graders who are submitting applications now. Four parts of the item concern undergraduate families.

• Increase for the entering class: the approximately 4.5% consists of two parts, a 3.47% inflation-based adjustment and one additional percentage point for priorities set by each campus chancellor. The Tuition Stability Plan caps the annual increase for an incoming cohort at 5%.
• Financial aid: of the new revenue from the tuition adjustment, $125.9 million goes to student financial aid. The item states that more than half of current California resident undergraduates have all tuition and fees fully covered by grants and scholarships.
• Enrollment: California resident undergraduate enrollment in 2025-26 was 214,508 full-time equivalent students, 4,973 above the target of 209,535 agreed with the State. Preliminary campus estimates indicate roughly 1,700 more California resident undergraduates in fall 2026 than in fall 2025.
• Enrollment targets: targets for 2027-28 will be developed later this fall. The budget plan also requests $70 million from the State toward the cost of enrollment above the targets.

The 4.5% in the item is an expected figure used in the budget plan, and the item does not list dollar amounts by campus. The Regents meet on November 17 and 18 at the UCSF Mission Bay Conference Center.

What Irvine Applicant Families Should Do About the Expected UC Tuition Increase

Include the 2027-28 increase in the four-year budget. Families can estimate first-year costs by adding about 4.5% to the current tuition levels of each campus, and then update the estimate when campuses publish official figures. How the Tuition Stability Plan sets prices by entering cohort is explained in How UC Tuition Is Set.

File financial aid applications on time. The UC admissions website lists March 2 as the deadline for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the California Dream Act Application. The rules for applying for and receiving aid are summarized in Ten Facts About UC Financial Aid.

Complete the application by November 30 first. The budget review does not change the application deadline. Families who want an overall plan for college selection, applications, and costs can learn about EDUBUS University Admissions Planning.

Sources

• UC Regents: Finance and Capital Strategies Committee, Item F4, University of California 2027-28 Budget for Current Operations (accessed November 13, 2026)
• UC Regents: Finance and Capital Strategies Committee agenda, November 18, 2026 (accessed November 13, 2026)
• UC Regents: Meeting agenda, November 2026 (accessed November 13, 2026)
• UC Admissions: Dates & deadlines (accessed November 13, 2026)