This article discusses why rising fees for graduate programs at University of California campuses threaten to undermine growth of underrepresented minorities (URMs) in health-science and other professions. Dental student Hector Godoy easily relates to his patients at a University of California, Los Angeles clinic. Like many of them, Godoy never went to a dentist as a child. When he graduates from UCLA next spring, he plans to work in an underserved area of Los Angeles. In the eyes of health care educators nationally, Godoy is a de facto role model, the kind of student sought for a pipeline of URMs whose career can improve access to health and wellness services among disadvantaged populations. Yet, ever-climbing student fees at all UC campuses make it more challenging to attract individuals like Godoy. A quick look around the country confirms how badly Godoy and other URMs are needed in health professions. The struggle to recruit URMs is far from new in California, where precipitous dropoffs were seen in some college programs following the 1996 passage of Proposition 209, a ballot measure banning public institutions from using affirmative action in hiring and admissions.