Fee UpdateOn July 21, the California State University Board of Trustees increased undergraduate, credential and graduate state university fees for the 2009-10 academic year as part of an overall budget action plan.
Effective in fall 2009, the annual full-time state university fees will increase by $672 ($336 per semester) for undergraduate students, $780 ($390 per semester) for teacher credential students and $828 ($414 per semester) for graduate students. The increase is in addition to the $306 annual state university fee increase (full-time undergraduates) adopted in May.
“The undergraduate state university fee will go up from the current $3,354 to $4,026 per year. The state university fee is in addition to mandatory fees charged by individual Universities (such as the student body association fee, facility fee and health services fee).
Fees for a full-time undergraduate student attending Sacramento State will total $4,900 for the 2009-10 academic year. A full-time credential student will pay $5,548. A full-time graduate student will pay $5,836.
The Board of Trustees also voted to increase non-resident tuition from $10,170 per academic year for a full-time nonresident student to $11,160, effective fall 2009. This equates to $372 per unit up to 30 units per year; up from $339 per unit. This is the first increase in nonresident tuition since the 2004-05 fiscal year. Nonresident students pay nonresident tuition in addition to the State University Fee and mandatory campus-based fees. Thus, the total fees for nonresident undergraduates taking 12 units per semester will increase to $15,987 per academic year.
These fees increases are in addition to increases announced earlier this year.
In May, Sacramento State President Alexander Gonzalez approved a $24-per-semester increase in campus fees for 2009-10.
This includes a hike of $22 per semester for the Associated Students, Inc. fee and an adjustment of $2 per semester to the University Union fee, which reflects a change that links it to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Previously, the Union fee was not automatically adjusted to account for inflation.
The change in the ASI fee reflects a $4 increase for recreational sports and $18 for intercollegiate athletics for the 2009-10 academic year. This brings the total ASI fee to $155.50 each semester from $133.50, and the University Union fee to $195 each semester from $193.
Students voted on the campus fee proposals during an April 28-29 election on campus. They approved increases for recreational sports and Regional Transit passes, and Gonzalez authorized those increases for three years. He also implemented changes to the ASI fee’s intercollegiate athletics component and a 50-cents-per-semester hike in the fee for the State Hornet newspaper, which were not approved by students in the election. All of the increases are needed to prevent cuts in service and student scholarships.
The changes in the RT and State Hornet fees will take effect in the 2010-11 academic year. Gonzalez did not approve an increase in the Internal Programs portion of the ASI fee, which was also voted down by students.
The ASI fee change was proposed to keep up with rising costs for services and scholarships. The RT portion provides all Sacramento State students with free ridership on Regional Transit.
The intercollegiate athletics portion will help the department cover the rising costs of student scholarships. The athletics fee has not increased since 1995, aside from CPI adjustments. Meanwhile, the CSU student fee has increased by $1,770. The change will allow the department to continue providing scholarships at the higher level to all 20 of its programs.
The State Hornet fee is needed to support the University’s flagship journalism lab. That fee has not increased since 1999.
The new fee levels will be taken into account in financial aid calculations, so most of the students who are eligible for financial aid may receive adjustments that could offset the increase
Updated fee charts are located at http://www.csus.edu/sfsc/Reg_fees.htmThe per-semester campus fee changes are broken down as follows:
| COMPONENT | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
| ASI Intercollegiate Athletics* Cumulative total |
$18 $80.50 |
$22 $102.50 |
$22.50 $125.00 |
| ASI Recreational Sports* Cumulative total |
$4 $8 |
$2 $10 |
$2 $12 |
| ASI Regional Transit* Cumulative total |
$0 $7.50 |
$5 $12.50 |
$5 $17.50 |
| State Hornet Cumulative total |
$0 $2.50 |
$.50 $3 |
$0 $3 |
| University Union Cumulative total |
$2 $195 |
** ** |
** ** |
| ASI Internal Programs Cumulative total |
$0 $56.75 |
** ** |
** ** |
*After the 2011-12 academic year, each of these fees will be adjusted to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
** The University Union and ASI Internal Programs and Service fees will continue to be tied to the CPI.