A ballot initiative proposal to split California into six states has received considerable attention after being approved for petition circulation in late February. Proponents argue that "California is ungovernable in its current state" and dividing California into smaller pieces will "bring us closer to our government."

However, key problems exist in this plan. For instance, how would the plan affect University of California students who pay in-state tuition to attend any one of nine campuses in the state?

With new state lines fracturing the system, the Six Californias plan would reclassify two out of every three currently in-state UC students as out-of-state residents for their campus.  If the UC were to charge out-of-state tuition to these students, the total additional cost would be more than $2.5 billion per year.

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