Proposed Professional Fee Increase at UCB’s School of Social Welfare

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is being proposed and why?

The UCB School of Social Welfare is proposing the implementation of a professional
development 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 first
year, $132,000 or more must be used for fellowships ($264,000 in subsequent years). This
leaves $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 an
MSW for CA residents and non-residents?
MSW students beginning in the Fall of 2010 would be charged the PDF. Currently enrolled
students 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 proposed
system-wide fee increases). If taken out as a typical federal student loan paid over 10 years
at 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 2010
fee 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 are
expected 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 and
a 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 school
is 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 UC
to 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. The
School of Optometry charges a PDF of $12,018. The School of Public Health and the School
of Public Policy both charge PDFs of less than $5,000.
 9. When compared to expected future earnings for California Social Workers, how
does the PDF measure up?

Percentil Salary Total PDF* as Actual total PDF**

e Percentage of Salary as Percentage of
Salary
th
10 $28,300 28% 39%
25th $36,630 22% 30%
Median $47,590 17% 23%
75th $63,640 12.5% 17%
th
90 $78,740 10% 14%
(Annual Salary information obtained from the May 2008 report to the OES, United States
Bureau of Labor: data.bls.gov/oes)
* Total PDF = $8,000, the amount of the fee for the 2 year program
** Actual total PDF = $ 11,000, the amount of the fee after loan repayment

These calculations do not take into account the other fees and expenses associated with a
graduate education. The standard accepted threshold at which students loans would create
economic hardship is 15% of income (www.finaid.org). Only those social workers in the
90th percentile of salaries will not experience economic hardship from repaying the PDF
alone.

10. Has a decision been made about the PDF at UCB’s Graduate School of Social
Welfare?
A proposal to institute a fee of $4000 was submitted to the UC Board of Regents in
September, one month ahead of schedule. The Graduate School of Social Welfare must
submit a strategic plan to the Board of Regents outlining how the revenue of the fee will be
used.

11. How can I be part of the conversation about whether a PDF is introduced?
Prospective and current students, alumni, and other parties concerned about the PDF are all
welcome to contact the School of Social Welfare about their concerns and any suggestions
of alternatives for the PDF. For more information about the current conversation
happening around this issue, see contact information below.

For more information, please contact:

Hannah Haley
MSW candidate, May 2010
Policy Intern, John Burton Foundation
(415) 693-1326
Hannah@johnburtonfoundation.org