While college is becoming more expensive, some faculty experts believe it is reasonable to expect students and their parents to contribute toward their educations.

"We have to maintain the quality of the university," said Steven M. Sheffrin, dean of the Division of Social Sciences. "It is not a blank check for UC, but this is a shared responsibility with parents and students."

In California, concern about rising fees and tuition is growing. An October survey by the Public Policy Institute of California found that while most Californians believe that a college education is necessary for individual success, they also believe that college is out of reach for many because of cost. Meanwhile, the UC Board of Regents approved its 2008-09 budget plan in November, which could potentially open the door for another significant hike in student fees.

In recent decades, the percentage of state support for the UC budget has declined, pushing the burden of cost back on the university, which in turn has increased fees and tuition. The alternative would be deep cuts of the magnitude that could jeopardize the educational quality of the UC.

"Payment brings quality education, and students have to bear that in mind. I think people have to take the educational sector very seriously and realize it is an investment for the future," said Sheffrin, an economist who directs the Center for State and Local Taxation.

Though the increases may be difficult for some students, he said, they are necessary to keep the university operating at its current level of excellence.

According to the survey, nearly two-thirds of Californians say a person must have a college education to succeed in today's workplace. Sheffrin agreed with that finding: "Absolutely, a college degree is essential."

Eric Grodsky, an assistant professor of sociology and expert in access to higher education, explained that a college education is helpful, but not necessary, to be successful.

"People often define success as holding a professional job. There are thousands of jobs out there in the skilled trades, for example, that require specialized training, but not a baccalaureate degree," he said.

In response to the worry that UC and other institutions of higher education are raising tuition and fees at unrealistic rates, thus making it more difficult to get a college education, Sheffrin said that the student fee increases will give UC Davis the opportunity to be competitive in attracting top faculty and student talent.

Grodsky said that the tuition and fee increases were necessary to maintain the integrity of universities like UC Davis. "You need to keep in mind the sharp drop in state support for higher education" along with the increasing costs.

"Public higher education is being massively privatized," he said. "In order to maintain or increase budgets, colleges and universities need to continue to increase tuition and fees to compensate for the withdrawal of state support. They have also seriously increased their fundraising efforts."

Another problem is that fee increases affect not only students and their families, but those working for the university, too. If huge budget cuts hit their programs, it is likely some faculty and staff would leave for better jobs elsewhere.

"Faculty pay at UC Davis lags behind that of peer institutions," he noted. "To retain faculty who successfully compete for other jobs, we often have to bump up their pay to match or nearly match outside offers. If the money to match their offers is not there, many will leave, and the quality of the university will erode."

As to when, if ever, the fee increases will stop or slow down, Grodsky sounds an optimistic note.

"I think increases will level out, but it's hard to say when. It really depends, at least in public colleges and universities, on the budgetary decisions legislators make," he said.

Grodsky believes that while higher fees may keep some students from attending college, many students and parents overestimate the cost of attendance.

In a research paper that Grodsky co-wrote with graduate student Melanie Jones for the journal Social Science Research, it was found that parents' estimates of tuition and mandatory fees were 30 percent to 75 percent too high.

One thing is clear — simply getting an education is more complicated these days. The Public Policy Institute survey found that 56 percent of Californians believe that getting one is more difficult than it was 10 years ago, and that 65 percent believe that many residents who are qualified to attend college do not have the opportunity to attend college.

One area of concern is whether qualified minority students have more or less opportunity to attend college. Most blacks (62 percent), Latinos (53 percent), and Asians (46 percent) believe they have less opportunity, while only 28 percent) of whites agree, according to the survey.

Sheffrin said that many challenges exist for minority students in high school or earlier — before they enter college.

"If minority students can make it through the system, there are lots of opportunities for them. I think the difficulty for minority students is getting UC eligible in high school."

The Public Policy Institute survey is available at ppic.org/main/publication.asp?i=778.