Proposed Professional Fee Increase at UCB’s School of Social WelfareFrequently Asked Questions

What is being proposed and why?

The UCB School of Social Welfare is proposing the implementation of a professionaldevelopment fee (PDF) of

$4000.00 per year

to entering students beginning in the Fall of 2010. The UCB Graduate School of Social Welfare is required to make a

permanent cut of 18%

2.What portion of the school’s budget will the fee’s revenue represent?

The fee will earn $400,000 in the first year and $800,000 each year after that. In the firstyear, $132,000 or more must be used for fellowships ($264,000 in subsequent years). Thisleaves

$268,000 for other expenses

for the 2010-2011 school year ($536,000 thereafter).Compared to the school’s 2007-2008 budget (the most recent year publicly available), this

represents about 1%

of the budget

for 2010-2011, and 2% for each following year.3.

Who will be affected by the PDF and how much will it increase the cost of getting anMSW for CA residents and non-residents?

MSW students beginning in the Fall of 2010 would be charged the PDF. Currently enrolledstudents will not have to pay a PDF.

California residents

could be paying as much as

$19,450

per year

before living expenses, and non-residents $33,000 (includes proposedsystem-wide fee increases). If taken out as a typical federal student loan paid over 10 yearsat 6.8%, the fee becomes a burden of

$5,525 per year of school.4.What portion of a student’s overall cost of attendance will the fee represent?

According to UC Berkeley’s Graduate Division, the expected student budget for 2009-2010(before living expenses, books, etc.) is $9,300.00, or

$9,900

with the expected spring 2010fee increase. The PDF

represents nearly half

of regular graduate student fees.5.

Why a professional development fee (PDF)?

In the UC system, professional fees were traditionally charged to graduate students in the

Law School

, the

Business School

, and the

School of Optometry

, because those students areexpected to earn

significantly higher salaries

upon graduating. More recently, a professional fee has been added for students pursuing a Master’s Degree in Public Policy anda Master’s Degree in Public Health.

6.What would the fee be used for?

According to School of Social Welfare, at least 33% of the PDF would have to be used for fellowships. There is not clarity about whether these would be new fellowships. The schoolis in the process of developing a strategic plan for outlining the use of the fee’s revenue.

7.Do other MSW programs at UC or CSU charge a PDF?

At present, no MSW program on a CSU campus charges a PDF. UCLA, the only other UCto offer an MSW, is also proposing to institute a PDF starting in Fall 2010.

8.What other types of programs charge a PDF and how much are they?

Both the law and business schools at UCB charge a PDF of approximately $25,000. TheSchool of Optometry charges a PDF of $12,018. The School of Public Health and the Schoolof Public Policy both charge PDFs of less than $5,000.