University of California President Michael V. Drake, M.D., issued the following statement today (June 28) on the state’s FY 2025-26 budget:
We’re grateful that the state’s final budget retains critical funding for the University of California. It’s clear Gov. Newsom and the State Legislature care deeply about California’s students and value the contributions the University makes to our state. We appreciate their commitment to public higher education during an extremely difficult budget year.
State support is crucial during this challenging moment for higher education — UC campuses are feeling the impacts of rising operational costs and significant cuts in federal funding, while facing the prospect of even more federal cuts in the future. The final state budget is a major improvement over the original 8 percent cut proposed earlier this year, even though it defers $130 million of our funding to the 2026-27 fiscal year. We appreciate the confidence and support of our elected leaders and look forward to our continued partnership in service of our great university.