The news keeps getting worse for California's public university students. The state's rickety budget has forced California State University and University of California officials to delay votes on tuition increases -- an 11th-hour decision prompted by fears that new state cuts would force them to raise student fees higher than they had originally planned.

Until Friday, each system was considering fee hikes of about 25 percent. "These new budget proposals that are coming from the Legislature would cut UC by an additional $80 million to $400 million," UC spokesman Hannan Eisenman said Friday. "Cuts of that magnitude could well require further readjustment of the fee increase. We hope that's not the case, but it's possible."

Blame it on the state deficit and ever-changing budget pictures from Sacramento. In January, Gov. Gray Davis proposed millions of dollars in cuts to the state's public universities to help deal with an estimated $35 billion state deficit.

Davis suggested that tuition increases would allow the universities to recoup money slashed by the cuts. CSU trustees and UC regents were poised to vote Wednesday on those increases, which would have raised CSU undergraduate fees from $2,070 to $2,466 and UC fees from $4,017 to $5,082 a year.

But the latest indications suggest the state's deficit is worse than anticipated because of lower-than-estimated tax revenue. The state is expected to release its revised budget on Wednesday. Rather than take two separate votes on increases, officials at both systems decided Friday to postpone their decision until they have more financial information from the state. Public comment and discussion on the increases will go forward as planned.

"We want to be able to give our students and their families enough time for financial planning for next year, and a single action seems the best and clearest way to do that," CSU Chancellor Charles Reed said. "It is never pleasant to raise student fees, but if we are to continue to provide access to California's students, they must increase."

Officials don't know yet how much higher the tuition proposals will go -- or even if they will increase at all. But hints from Sacramento aren't good.

Davis' early budget proposal included $260 million in cuts to the CSU, and Reed said the May revision could include anywhere from $70 million to $200 million in additional cuts.

Any additional cuts to UC would be on top of $299 million already proposed. California's community colleges will also be sorely impacted by the deficit. Davis has proposed $530 million in cuts to the 108-school system and has suggested raising fees from $11 per unit to $24. Most community college classes are three or four units each.

Any revenue from the community college fee increase would be used to augment the state's general fund -- unlike fees in CSU and UC, which benefit those systems. The state Legislature will vote on the community college increase later this year.

The massive cuts will force the state's colleges to restrict student services, cut class offerings and possibly lay off staff. CSU may even be forced to restrict enrollments.

Artemio Pimentel, chair of the CSU's state student association, said he's glad officials have decided to postpone the vote.

"We always remain optimistic," he said. "Hopefully, some of the state Legislature and some of the trustees will come to their senses and realize cutting education is not the way to go."