Postsecondary education: cost-of-living categories.

Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, as 2 of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. The California State University comprises 23 institutions of higher education, and the University of California comprises 10 institutions of higher education, and these institutions are located throughout the state. Existing law requires each campus of the California State University, and requests each campus of the University of California, to post on its internet website, on or before February 1 of each year, information about the market cost of a one-bedroom apartment in the areas near that campus where its students commonly reside. Existing law requires or requests the campuses, as applicable, in reporting information pursuant to this provision, to exercise due diligence and consult bona fide and reliable sources of current information about local housing market costs, as specified. This bill would require each campus of the California State University, and request each campus of the University of California, to additionally post on its internet website: (1) information about the market cost of 2-bedroom apartments and one-person bedrooms in private houses in the areas near that campus where its students commonly reside; (2) separate estimates of other cost-of-living categories, including, but not limited to, living at home or in a permanent residence, food, transportation, books and supplies, miscellaneous expenses, tuition, and mandatory student fees; (3) descriptions of the data sources and methods used to calculate its estimates for each cost-of-living category; and (4) a statement emphasizing the variability of actual costs for individual students and encouraging prospective students and their families to consider how their own costs might differ from those given in the estimates.