Beyond tuition, students at OSU are billed term-by-term for an array of different fees contributing to their college experience.
With an already expensive college education, these mandatory fees are proposed and recognized by the student government to maintain campus and the services offered for students.
For students who have not yet paid these fees, they, along with tuition, are due on Sunday, Feb. 1.
As described by Gregory Balck, student account services manager at OSU, the student fees issued every term are voted on by ASOSU and are 100 percent mandatory, meaning every full-time student on campus is required to pay each of them. This is important for students to understand because with these fees, a range of services are available while attending OSU.
Balck explained that there are four mandatory fees: an incidental fee, a student health services fee, a building loan fee and a matriculation fee.
The incidental fee is $535.52 and contributes to a variety of services and opportunities on campus. Some are: budgetary support for ASOSU, the Family Resource Center, Human Services Resource Center, Performing Arts, Recreational Sports, Student Experiences and Engagement (which includes clubs and cultural centers) and allocations for student facility improvement and unforeseen expenses.
Whether or not students attend performances or participate in clubs, they are still paying for these opportunities to be available.
Additionally, because the incidental fee covers Recreational Sports, students also have a term-by-term gym membership at Dixon Recreation Center.
The student health services fee is $252.56, providing access to medical and wellness services. This includes counseling and psychological services, nutrition consultations, substance use counseling, a 24-hour nurse advice line (541-737-9355) and prevention services for gender-based violence.
However, this fee does not cover clinical appointments containing laboratory fees, procedures, or psychiatric visits. All of which still have required fees that a student’s insurance may cover.
The building loan/debt fee is $70.80 and is used to finance and pay off the debt of student buildings and their renovations. As of July 1, 2021, the cost of construction projects for non-instructional buildings and their interest is $24 million, and will be paid off in 2041 with accumulated building loan and debt fees.
Essentially, this fee covers the upkeep of buildings on campus to ensure students’ well-being as they are used throughout their experience at the university.
The matriculation fee is $418 for undergraduates and $364 for graduate students. This fee supports enrollment and registration services, which include orientation, pre-enrollment advising and campus open houses.
Unlike the other campus fees, which are term-by-term, the matriculation fee is a one-time cost for newly enrolled students.
“I know that there are a lot of fees for a lot of stuff that some of which I don’t even use,” third-year psychology major Anthony Rivera said. “I wish I wouldn’t have to pay this much money for stuff I don’t use.”
Specifically, Rivera was disappointed in the student health services fee and counseling fee that comes with it: “I’m fortunate enough to not have been extremely sick. I haven’t had to use many of the facilities around campus that are for medical usage.”
Rivera additionally recalled that these fees were only briefly explained at student orientation, but believes it would be beneficial for them to be covered in term-by-term emails from the school. Rivera also believes that, based on the minimal amount of communication from the school about them, these fees feel hidden.
Another student, Alexis Kaul, first-year zoology major, described that beyond the mandatory student orientation, she went to the financial aid office to gain a better understanding of the student fees.
With this, she also believes that OSU could make a better effort to communicate these fees to its students.
Balck described that student fees are covered in depth at new student orientation and are published online for students to view on their own volition.
As of now, new student orientation is the only time when these fees are explained to students from the university without students having to research them on their own. If students are interested in reading about these fees in more detail, they can go to the OSU finances website.