The Wake

University of Minnesota students are facing double-digit tuition and fee increases for the fourth consecutive year, and they’re paying 14 percent more than they did last year. The deficit, which is around $70 million, is mostly due to budget cuts, along with some increases in university expenses. The main expense is a 2.5 percent average increase in all university employee wages, which totals $25 million. Each employee’s increase varied based on which department or college they are employed by, along with how influential the department’s union is, says Chief Financial Office Treasurer Richard “Fitz” Pfutzenreuter. Some reductions in operating and administrative cost are used to counteract the deficit, but the students pick up the $51 million that’s left over. This seems like a large portion of the overall deficit, but Pfutzenreuter says it’s due to the students paying a smaller proportion last year.

In case you haven’t tallied up all of your tuition and fees yet, I’ll try and give you an idea on what you can expect to pay. An out-of-state resident will pay $704.16 per credit, or $9,154 each semester when taking 13 or more credits. An in-state resident will pay $256.85 per credit, or $3,339 each semester when taking 13 or more credits. This money goes straight to the college of the enrolled student. The college then disperses the funds to various expenses, says Pfutzenreuter. Sixty-seven percent of the tuition fee is used toward instruction and the state of Minnesota chips in around $4,277 a year per student.

Student service fees are nearly identical as they were last year and total up to $275.79 a semester. The Boynton student service fee is the largest at $90.53 per semester and the Twin City Student Union operating and bond repayment fees are second most expensive at $47.28 and $46.97 per semester, respectively. The Wake costs each student $0.76 per semester.

Technology fees vary for each college, but for undergraduates range as high as $350 per semester at the Carlson School of Management to as low as $30 per semester at the College of Continuing Education. College of Liberal Arts students pay $100 per semester.

The university fee increased 33% from last year, so students now pay $400 per semester. The fee money is sent to specific departments like the libraries, the office of the registrar, and the admissions office. Each department then decides how the money is used.

Finally, there are the course fees. Most courses throughout the entire university don’t have fees, but odds are you might have a few of these a year. A few extreme cases include the $2,035 charge for facility usage and materials for the 5000 course through the Center for Spirituality and Healing department, and a $1,499 charge for the 0181 English as a second language class. For the average student, one may pay somewhere between $10 and $40 to cover class materials. Physical education class fees average around $50, and cover usage of the facility. A biology student will pay around $70 for lab materials, while a chemistry student will pay around $50.