FULLERTON – Chanting "No more cuts!" about 600 students at California State University, Fullerton, rallied in the campus quad Thursday afternoon against state budget cuts that have raised their tuition and reduced the number of classes they can take.

"We're not made of money," said Veronica Lopez, 19, a freshman who said she would have to give up her apartment in Fullerton and move back in with her parents if fees go higher.

The lunchtime demonstration – unusually large for this commuter campus – was one of dozens planned at California State University campuses this week, urging the Legislature to spare students from further increases and save their system from deeper cuts.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed 2004-05 budget would raise undergraduate tuition by 10 percent next fall, after a 40 percent increase over the past two years.

The budget would also raise graduate fees 40 percent in the fall and cut the system's funding by about 9 percent. CSU officials estimate 20,000 students would be shut out of the 23-campus system under the proposal.

Proposed budget cuts would also affect community colleges and the University of California system.

Finance experts say higher education is one of the few places where discretionary cuts can be made to cope with the state budget crisis. The state is facing a $17 billion shortfall. As proposed, the CSU budget for 2004-05 would be $2.4 billion of the state's $76 billion general-fund budget – down from $2.6 billion last year.

The California Faculty Association launched a statewide effort, the Coalition to Save the CSU, seeking to limit budget cuts.

"I'm a full-time student and I already have to work full time," said senior Amber Collins, 21, who hopes to go to graduate school next year. She joined Thursday's rally wearing a red T-shirt saying "Stand Up. It's your education." "If fees go up, it's going to make it harder for me. I will have to work even harder to compensate."