UCSD Creates Real Estate Agency to Help Parents Pay for Tuition

UC San Diego has founded its very own real estate agency to help struggling families sell their properties in order to pay for tuition costs.

“Here at UC San Diego we always strive to create a supportive community, because we are one big family. We will always try our best to help students pay for any financial costs, and that’s why we’ve established the Triton Real Estate Assistance Trust (TREAT). We want to help working class moms and dads find the best deal on their house and pay for their children’s tuition. Our hearts go out to the UCSD community and we hope that TREAT can be of assistance during this process,” said TREAT’s Director of Operations, Jerry Springer.

The moderate tuition of only $30,000 a year has forced many families into undesirable situations, such as mortgaging their houses, taking up multiple jobs, taking out loans, or in some cases, selling their houses for their children’s education. When the board at UCSD was made aware of these problems, they proposed that TREAT be formed. The proposal was passed almost unanimously, with the exception of one member, who had doubts about whether or not selling a house would be enough to cover tuition. He has since urged a kidney harvesting division to be added to TREAT.

“Personally, I felt that selling a house might only cover 2 to 3 years of tuition, if you live in an area with lower house prices like Bakersfield. To cover for that extra year, selling one of the parent’s kidneys might be enough, depending on the market at the time. I think it’s really important for us to make sure that all regions are treated equally, as diversity, equity, and inclusivity are of absolute importance to us, and we can do that by giving those from regions with lower house prices a chance to catch up to those who live in an area like Palo Alto or San Francisco,” said board member Elon Tusk.

TREAT has already made an impact on students’ lives, allowing junior Tyler Mills to pay tuition for this quarter.

“Our family was in a really tough place this year. We didn’t qualify for FAFSA since our family makes over $100,000, but I have 18 siblings, and FAFSA doesn’t account for that. Thankfully, TREAT helped us sell our house, so we are in a much better place now. I cannot stress my eternal gratitude for the organization and UCSD as a whole,” said Mills.

TREAT also sells tents at a discounted price of 250 Triton Cash, assembly instructions not included, to help families adjust after their house has been sold and tuition paid.

“We just really want to be there for you, even if your house isn’t,” said Director Springer.

Kevin Zhu is a Conch writer for The Triton.