Although college tuition prices at Portland State have not been raised significantly this year, the cost of college is continuing to go up for PSU students beginning fall term, due to a rise in student fee costs.
Tuition and fees increase by 5 percent for undergraduates, 10 percent for graduates
Although college tuition prices at Portland State have not been raised significantly this year, the cost of college is continuing to go up for PSU students beginning fall term, due to a rise in student fee costs.
PSU’s largest student population, undergraduates paying in-state tuition, will pay $1659.50 per term in the upcoming academic year, up 2 percent from last year. In the past year, student fees have seen the greatest increase, now costing students $483.50 per term—a $57 increase from last year.
The largest increase in tuition and fees for all student populations has been for graduate resident students. A full-time student (enrolled in nine credit hours) will pay $2,810.75 per term during the 2007-08 academic year, an 8.8 percent increase since last year. Of that amount, $2142 is charged in tuition and $408.50 is charged for student fees.
According to PSU budget director Michael Fung, student fees pay for university services, such as health care or campus facilities, available for students at PSU. Student fees are separate from tuition expenses, which pay for faculty salaries as well as operating costs, such as travel expenses, office supplies and support services.
How much a student will pay in fees is determined by credit hours and level of study (undergraduate or graduate).
Student Body President Rudy Soto said that the Student Fee Committee (SFC) is focused on blocking an increase in next year’s incidental fee, which pays for student group budgets.
The SFC oversees the allocation of $12 million in student fees each year to student groups, including The Vanguard and athletics. Each year, the SFC is responsible for setting the incidental fee.
Soto said he is focusing more on making sure the incidental fee stays low than on other fees outside of ASPSU’s purview.
“I’m interested in freezing the incidental fee increase,” Soto said. “I don’t know what other departments who handle the student fees are doing to keep costs down for students, but I definitely want to freeze increases anywhere I can.”
Soto also said that student government is working with the Oregon Student Association (OSA) and the Oregon University System to create a more transparent method of tuition reporting, so that students are more aware of where their tuition dollars are being spent.
One freshman student, Briana Baillie, 18, said that she is aware of how most of her tuition is spent and that the student fees at Portland State are higher than other schools. A native of Hawaii, Baillie said she attends PSU on a scholarship, so the student fees don’t seem too detrimental.
“I know the costs are higher than other areas in the country, but I’m not hurt too bad by the extra costs,” Baillie said. “Of course, I won’t know if the extra cash for PSU is worth it until a few weeks into class.”
Baillie said that she would like to get involved with groups advocating lower tuition costs and student fees. For students that are similarly interested, visit the ASPSU offices in Room 117 of the Smith Memorial Student Union, or visit the OSA website at www.orstudents.org.
Tuition by student Tuition Student Fees
Undergraduate resident:
(12 credits)
2006-07 $1152 $426.50
2007-08 $1176 $483.50
Total increase: $24 (2 percent)
Undergraduate nonresident:
(12 credits)
2006-07 $4308 $426.50
2007-08 $4368 $483.50
Total increase: $52 (1.2 percent)
Graduate resident:
(Nine credits)
2006-07 $2142 $408.50
2007-08 $2349 $461.75
Total increase: $207 (8.8 percent)
Graduate nonresident:
(Nine credits)
2006-07 $3672 $408.50
2007-08 $3726 $461.75
Total increase: $54 (1.4 percent)
