On Monday afternoon, students gathered in front of Tommy Trojan and one-by- one expressed the hardship they will face with another tuition increase.
"I already work more than 20 hours a week in order to support myself at USC," said USC student Kelechi Emetuche. "I might have to take on more hours now."
Many students say they are upset because they do not believe the administration is transparent enough about where the money is going. Most students found out about the tuition increase from a Facebook post.
Undergraduate Student Government President Rini Sampath was also in attendance. She says transparency is something the administration needs to work on.
"If they were going to increase tuition, they should have informed us in the first place," said Sampath.
An hour after the rally started, students marched to President Nikias' office in Bovard Auditorium. At first, students were not let inside.
"Obviously this is the treatment we get when we try to speak to our President," said Moira Turner, a junior at USC.
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But, a few minutes later, students were let inside. Then, they were stopped again outside President Nikias' door by the Associate Vice Provost of Student Affairs, Timothy Bessolo.
"We would like you to go outside so we can conduct University business," said the Associate Vice Provost.
Students refused to leave until they could talk with President Nikias about where the increased tuition in going. The Associate Vice Provost eventually allowed the students to sit outside President Nikias' door.
The Dean of Financial Aid, Thomas McWhorter, said the school meets the demonstrative need of each student.
"Obviously, the amount of grant is also going to go up," said McWhorter. "So every year we have a larger pool of grant funds for students that have need."
About two-thirds of USC students receive financial aid from USC. The dollar amount comes out to almost $500 million. But even with all the help USC offers, some students are having to leave the school because of rising costs.
"It was really sad," said Angela Sarabia, a former USC student. She was only at USC for her freshman year. She transferred to San Jose State University right before her sophomore year because she could no longer pay tuition at USC. "I already found a home at USC and I was ready to come back."
Contact Staff Reporter Kelly Reinke here.
Annenberg Media