College fees rise in Texas

Increases often are less noticed than tuition hikes.

Sept. 17, 2007

At some public universities in Texas, fees are climbing through the roof. Unlike noisy battles over tuition increases, fees often are tacked on with little fanfare. Fees rose 127 percent at the University of Texas at San Antonio from 2002 to 2006, while tuition increased 80 percent, according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. This semester, fees accounted for about a third of the $3,400 total bill for a full-time student. They include $300 for automated services, $210 for the library, $185 for student services, a $35 energy surcharge and $150 for freshman orientation.
Click here to read The San Antonio Express-News article.

EARLIER: As state support for higher education has languished, public universities are increasingly tacking on fees. Legislatures shy away from approving tuition increases, and fees often can be set by individual campuses. At just over half the nation’s four-year public colleges, fees rose faster than tuition in the 2005-6 school year and the previous year.
To read The New York Times article, click here.