UC President Mark G. Yudof made the following statement today (Feb. 8) after Assembly Speaker John Perez announced his Middle Class Scholarship Program proposal:

“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.”