By Kwasi Osei-Amankwah
April 9 2024
STORRS — Where do university fees go?
Allison Wall, a junior at the University of Connecticut and a natural resources and environment major, is one of many students grappling with the escalating cost of higher education. As a state that ranks 46th in affordability nationwide, Connecticut poses a significant financial challenge for students like Wall, striving to achieve their academic ambitions.
Wall said she works two jobs seven days a week to support herself and is keen to understand how her tuition fees are distributed. She wants to ensure that her investment in her education is being utilized effectively and hopes for greater transparency in the allocation of her tuition dollars. Like many students, Wall works often to finance her education and wants to ensure that her efforts translate into the best outcome. She wants to know where her money is going.
“I do not even know what a university fee is,” said Wall.
Can students locate the locations of their student fee payments?
Wall juggles two jobs every day of the week to support herself. Despite her demanding schedule, she maintains good grades and strives to make the most of her college experience. Her commitment to her education is evident in her work ethic.
Like many students, Wall does not use the university recreation center. Instead, she prefers to work out on her own time, when it is convenient for her. However, when she received her fee bill for the upcoming semester, she was surprised to see a $250 charge for the university recreation center.
“I have no idea where all this money is going. I do not even go to the rec center!” Wall exclaimed, confused.
Feeling disheartened by the cost of her education, Wall is trying to decipher the numbers on her bill. She cannot comprehend why she is charged for a facility she has never used. The fee seems unjust and needs to reflect her actual usage of the recreation center, she said.
Many students have expressed concerns and asked about the specific allocation of fees. The university’s student government is holding meetings to discuss the issue, and the student body is putting up posters around the campus to display their frustration over an accompanying tuition increase.
Rising tuition and student debt costs have become pressing concerns for many college students. For example, at the University of Connecticut, students like Wall face the financial strain of pursuing their academic aspirations.
The most confusing part of this financial question is the university fee structures, which leave students wondering where their tuition dollars are allocated. Take UConn, for instance; university officials say student fees contribute to essential services and initiatives, including academic programs, campus facilities, and student support services.
However, the lack of transparency and accountability in fee allocation has left many students disillusioned and disempowered. “The money probably goes to Radenka’s (the school’s president) Ferrari,” said Katie Tutillo, a freshman at UConn majoring in psychology.
UConn’s website has a spot that describes the fees and why students are charged for them.
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Undergraduate fees at UConn total about $2,017 a semester. The fees charged to students attending the Storrs or regional campuses of the University of Connecticut include several mandatory fees. These fees can vary depending on the campus. Still, they include the General University Fee, the Student Health and Wellness Fee, the Student Recreation Center Fee, the Transit Fee, the Infrastructure Maintenance Fee, the Technology Fee, and the Activity Fee. The total cost of these fees is approximately $2,017 per semester or $4,034 per year.
The university requires all students to pay a General University Fee. This fee supports programs and services that are intended to benefit students. The Student Health and Wellness Fee is also mandatory for Storrs students. It covers the costs of health services offered by the university, such as counseling and mental health, nutrition sciences, wellness and prevention, women’s health, and primary and urgent care.
The Student Recreation Center Fee is mandatory for all Storrs-enrolled students and is used to support the operations and construction of the Student Recreation Center. This fee cannot be waived and is not a usage fee. Therefore, students like Wall, who have never stepped foot inside, still must pay the cost.
The Transit Fee is a required fee for all students. It supports the campus shuttle bus services at Storrs, such as Husky Safe rides, late-night service, and accessible van service. The fee also supports shuttle bus services at the regional campuses and improves public transit to and near UConn campuses through payments made to the CT DOT.
The mandatory Infrastructure Maintenance Fee applies to all students at the university. The fee is utilized to support the expenses associated with UConn 2000 projects and the prevention and deferral of maintenance costs related to university buildings.
The Technology Fee funds various IT projects directly benefiting students. These projects include increased wireless capacity, technology and media-related library services, and access to certain University-wide software licensing agreements.
The Activity Fee varies by campus and supports student governmental activities. At Storrs, this fee also covers the student yearbook, student newspaper, Student Union, WHUS radio, and UConn TV fees.
According to the university’s fact sheet, this would mean that UConn, which has 32,906 students, generates approximately $133 million in fees annually.
Micheal E. Enright, UConn’s deputy spokesman, said these all help students during their years at UConn. “Licenses with the various companies, teacher pay, among other things (is there the money goes to). Everything is public; nothing is set in stone. A student referendum passed the Rec Center. The 132M sounds reasonable; everything we provide for students is not free. All of the money goes to support our students. Moreover, giving out these fees is our way of being transparent with the students. We are making their experience at UConn better,” he said.
“But the experience is not that great,” said Kylie Heath, a freshman majoring in psychology. They take all that money from us, and during the UConnic concert, they could only get Swae Lee? It does not make sense.”
Even today, posters all over the university campus show frustrated students criticizing the school for its tuition increase, which, according to an article in the Middletown Press, is increasing again as it has every year in the 2010s.
Sam Moore, a senior, agrees with Wall and Heath about wanting transparency about where the money is spent. “I want to see this exact breakdown; it does not make sense. I would believe what they say if they showed me their receipts!” she said with a laugh.
According to UConn’s last budget meeting, tuition fees are set to increase again in 2025. This news has left many students and parents wondering where the money goes.
“I just want to know. Aren’t we a part of the same pack?” Wall asked.