The regents committee that controls the University of California system will vote on a proposal to increase tuition at its 10 campuses by as much as 5 percent a year over the next five years.

The vote, which is set to take place Thursday, will decide whether to hike the cost of college tuition according to a proposal backed by UC President Janet Napolitano. Tuition and fees for in-state students this year is $12,192, however the proposal would raise the cost to $15,564 by the 2019-20 school year, the Los Angeles Times reports.

In spite of opposition from Gov. Jerry Brown, legislative leaders and students, a committee of the UC's governing board approved Napolitano's plan to increase tuition by $612 each year for the next five years in a 7-2 vote on Wednesday, reports The Associated Press. The majority of members on the full board of regents have also indicated that they support the plan to end a three-year freeze on tuition.

According to Napolitano, the hike would cover the rising costs of pensions and salaries and allow UC to hire more faculty and boost the number of California undergraduates by 5,000. She also said the increase was contingent on cuts to state funding to the 10-campus system.

However, Gov. Brown fired back against the tuition increase, arguing that officials should conduct an in-depth study to help students graduate in three years, offer more online courses and consolidate programs.

While the regents held their debate and vote about the tuition hike at UC San Francisco, about 100 people gathered outside the school in protest of the proposed hike on Wednesday.

"There is a game of chicken," Hans Johnson, a higher education expert at the non-partisan Public Policy Institute of California, told Time. "It's not clear to me at all how it's going to turn out."

David Plank, an economist at Policy Analysis for California Education, also shared his opinion.

"As a political matter, state officials have made the judgment they don't want to pay for higher education for our citizens," he said. "What were once public universities are now private universities that receive some subsidy from the states."

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